Tokyo Mew Mew A La Fresco
by Makemegray
Summary: A third series in the tmm saga. With guest appearences from some of my villians in other fandoms. This story is Shoujouai mainly, the pairing ZakuroMint.
1. Awakened

Chapter 1: Awakened

"Hurry up Ichigo! We're going to be too late!" Ichigo groaned as she ran after Pudding who had taken to the treetops to get to the battle site faster.

"I'm sorry but I can't run any-!" Ichigo's sentence was cut short, as she suddenly felt over whelmed by an unidentifiable emotion.

Looking back, Pudding saw her friend collapse to her knees, hugging herself tightly.

"Ichi-chan, What's wrong with you?"

"I-I don't know." Ichigo wiped her eyes and realized that she had started crying. " I just feel really… sad all of a sudden."

"Sad?" Pudding put a hand on her hip and the other one to her chin. "What could you possibly have to be sad about?" She palmed her fist as the answer came to her. "Oh I got it! You're sad about missing your date with Masaya-san, huh?" Ichigo blushed, despite the fact that she was still crying.

"No, that's not it at all. It's just…" Ichigo stopped crying suddenly and stood up, transforming into Mew Ichigo and running off down a side street.

"Huh!" Pudding sighed and transformed as well, following her partner. "Ichi-chan, wait up! We have to go help the others!"

"I know but I have to go…I can't explain it, I just have to! Go help the others and I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"I'm not going to leave you by yourself! Chances are you're just sneaking off to see your boyfriend!"

"I'm not I'm just…"Ichigo stopped and looked around the area they'd ended up in.

Pudding raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Ichi-chan, are we lost now?"

"No we're not." Ichigo walked over to one of the houses on the street and kneeled, looking under the porch. Reaching under it she pulled out a small white kitten that mewed lethargically.

"Oh, how cute!"

"It lost its mother and all of its brothers and sisters." Pudding turned to her friend with a questioning look.

"How do you know that?"

"…I can just feel it."

Later that afternoon…

"Just where you two this afternoon! We almost got killed before those damn aliens backed off!" Pudding glared at Ichigo who was ignoring Mint's rant in favor of bottle-feeding her new kitten.

"Ichigo kept saying that she felt sad then ran off and found this kitten."

"What could she have sad about! She wasn't the one getting massacred!"

"She said she didn't know. She just collapsed and started crying."

"How very interesting…" Mint and Pudding, the only ones that happened to be giving the afternoon's event any thought (Lettuce cleaning up the café. Zakuro being at a photo shoot and Berri and Ringu AWOL), turned to see Keiichiro standing at the kitchen door, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"What's interesting?" Mint asked.

"It seems to me that a new power resulting from the mew mew project is surfacing."

"What are you talking about?" Pudding asked, tilting her head to the side quizzically (every bit the monkey)

"Ichigo appears to have developed empathic abilities. Empathy is the ability to feel the emotions of other beings. As would seem to be the case with her new friend there." Mint glared at him.

"Why is it that you never seem to find it necessary to tell us about new abilities before the surface instead of leaving us in the dark all the time!"

" Where the fun in that be? Besides, I don't often know about the new abilities until they surface. Ryou-kun and I saw Ichigo-Chan collapse on Masha's camera then I checked her vital statistics. Upon doing so, I discovered that there was an extensive irregularity in the neurological functions of certain section of her brain. Mainly the fact that is was active." He took the vacant expressions of Mint and Pudding to indicate that he needed to explain further.

_Although they probably still wouldn't get it even it, even I drew them a picture with little signs and went chibi to explain it._ Keiichiro thought wryly.

With a sigh, he attempted to explain his findings to the confused mew mews

"There is a section of the brain that deals with things beyond the material world. Things that deal with the psychic world. Apparently, Ichigo-chan's section has developed her psychic power to that of empathy. She can tell the state of mind people are in or what they're feeling just by a glance." Keiichiro paused for a moment. "…If I were a betting man I would say that her section might further develop into telepathy or some of various other mental abilities."

"Does that include getting smarter?" Ryou asked, standing behind Keiichiro.

"Quite possibly so."

"Then… does that mean that this will happen to all of us?" Mint asked.

"Most likely not in the same way. I believe that the animal DNA incorporated into your genes as a result of the mew mew project will affect the outcome of how the section in your brain will awaken."

"You mean like this?" Zakuro asked as she stood in the doorway of the café.

She held her hand out and the plate that Lettuce was in the process if dropping froze in mid-air the rose back into the startled girls hands.

"Ah, it would seem that Zakuro-san's section has awakened latent telekinetic powers. Very interesting. Keiichiro scribbled rapidly on a clipboard he'd pulled from hammer space. " Now Zakuro-san I hope you don't mind answering a few questions for me? Good now when did you notice that this telekinetic ability had started to manifest." Zakuro sat down at one of the booths.

"Last night." Keiichiro scribbled some more.

"Uh-huh, and what were you doing when you noticed it?"

"I was having sex with Mint." The violet haired model replied without missing a beat.

All noise in the room stopped.

Lettuce dropped the plate again.

"Zakuro! Why did you tell him!" Mint yelled/asked, blushing and earning a blank look from her lover.

"He asked."

Mint growled in frustration before storming out of the café.

"Er-Thank you, Zakuro-san." Keiichiro said wiping his nose before going back to his lab, followed by Ryou who was covering the lower half of his face with his hand for some odd reason.

"So-uh-Zakuro-Chan… how long have you two been-uh-well you know…." Ichigo asked tentatively.

"How long have you two been screwing each other?" Pudding asked in her usual blunt manner.

"Pudding!" Both Ichigo and Lettuce scolded.

"Two years." Zakuro answered without a second thought.

"You've kept this from all of us for two years! But we're supposed to be partners!" Ichigo stated, offended at being left in the dark.

"Actually, Berri and Ringu knew." The three other mew mews present gaped at her in shock.

"You told them before us! But we're the original mew mews, how could you not tell us first?" Pudding asked, just as offended as Ichigo.

"We didn't tell those two. Mint swore them to secrecy after they walked in on us making out in during our lunch break."

"So then why are you telling us now?" Lettuce asked, slightly more calm than the other two.

"What's the point in not telling you? Mint always said that it would cause too much of a scandal for an heiress and model to be going out." Zakuro leaned one elbow on the table, rested her chin in it, and closed her eyes. "She won't feel the need to be so secretive when she reads today's tabloids."

* * *

Author's notes: I know some people who are going to be very pissed off by this fic so in advance, gomen nasai DDW-San 

Rei-chan's introduction to Tokyo Mew Mew a la fresco.

First, I have only read up to the fifth manga and am currently denying the existence of: shiver: Mew Mew Power which give me nightmares to think of how badly 4Kids screwed the series up. (Rene Roberts my ass!)

Anyway, for those people who were confused, Berri Shirayuki is from Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode. She has cat AND bunny genes in her.

A la mode takes place after Ichi-chan goes to London with Masaya-kun

Ringu Akai is from the Tokyo Mew Mew game and since I wasn't able to find a description of her personality anywhere, she's essentially an original character from Rei-chan.

This story takes place after a la mode and involves an alien race( Heh. Original huh?) whose leader happens to be a demon by the name of The lord of Nightmares, whose subordinates are Chaotic Blue, Dark Star, Ruby Eye, and Death Fog.(request fic for whoever can guess where that comes from) The alien race come from a dimension alternate of earth. Their mission: To take over worlds that the lord of Nightmares takes a fancy to and turn them into worlds that suit her tastes.

Ichigo and Mint are 17 and second years in high school, Lettuce is 18 and a third year, Zakuro is 19 and a first year university student, Pudding is 16 and a high school first year, Ringu and Berri and 15 are middle school third years, Ryou is 20, Keiichiro is 27 and Masaya is 17.

The original mew mews, except Zakuro, all go the same high school, Ringu, and Berri go to the same all-girls junior high.

The couples are:Zakuro/Mint (there just aren't enough fanfics with them as a couple and it pisses me off!); Ichigo/Masaya; Ryou/Lettuce; and Pudding/Ringo (just because of the sheer unlikely ness of the pairing) and Berri/Tasuku

Also I suppose I have to apologize to all of you Kish fans. Unfortunately, he Pai, and Tart were tragically taken from us by either an a attack of rabid space monkeys or by an exploding orangutan that was smuggled onto their ship. Either way, Ship blew up, Kish go bye-bye!


	2. Bound

Tokyo Mew Mew a la fresco chapter 2

With intense relief, Zakuro was finally able to escape the café and her fellow mews who had insisted on knowing every detail on the relationship she had with a certain sapphire-haired heiress (On which Pudding had insisted on taking notes, to the absolute horror of Ichigo and Lettuce).

She unlocked the door to her apartment and upon entering, noticed the lack of shoes by the front door.

'Mint must not be back yet.' shrugging, Zakuro slipped off her own shoes and closed the door behind her before she headed into the kitchen, where she set about the task of fueling her favorite addiction.

Coffee.

As she waited for the machine to do her bidding, her cell phone rang a familiar tone.

The chicken dance song was a signal to her that her manager was calling.

Answering the phone, she had to hold it away from her ear to avoid damage to her eardrum as the man yelled at the top of his lungs, scolding her about what he had read in the tabloids that morning.

"Hareda-san I think you might be overreacting a little!" She yelled, trying her best to shout the man down.

"Like hell I'm overreacting Fujiwara! Do you have any idea what this going to do to your career!"

"It will either destroy it or expand it. In either case, I win."

"What do mean 'you win'? You are finished in Japan, Fujiwara! No, not just Japan, in the whole world! What designer is going to want-?" Zakuro narrowed her eyes and the manager stopped, sensing her obvious displeasure with the direction his tirade was going, even through the phone.

"First of all Hareda-san, I very sincerely doubt that I'm the first lesbian model in the entire world, second of all, If it destroyed my career I wouldn't regret it in the least. I am eighteen, I crossed the globe just as many times in two years, and I am tired of it. And Third of all, I'm the one who gave the pictures and story to the press."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"YOU DID WHAT!" Zakuro had to jiggle her finger in her ears to stop them from ringing.

"I figured it would come out sooner or later and sooner happened to be better in my opinion."

"Why didn't you feel it necessary to talk this over with me? YOUR MANAGER!"

"Because you're incompetent." Zakuro said as if he should have known it ages ago.

"Fujiwara you are treading on a dangerous line, are you aware of that?"

"A dangerous line with who? You or the press?"

"Both. What do you think this is going to do to Aizawa-san's reputation?"

"Mint is fully capable of taking care of herself…" A sudden idea occurred to Zakuro that she knew would piss her manager of a great deal…well, former-manager.

Hanging up on Hareda, she dialed another number and was connected almost instantly.

"Hello Seguchi-san? This is Fujiwara Zakuro, and I'm ready to take your offer…"

* * *

Back at Café Mew…

"So they finally told you, huh? I didn't think they would actually get around to it" Berri said in wonder as she sipped some unidentifiable pink liquid through a straw.

"Did something serious happen while we were gone? Damn it, I told you we should have come to work today, Berri!" Ringo said, pissed that she had missed such a landmark event.

Berri raised an eyebrow over the rim of her glass.

"Would you rather have not done what we did and come to work instead?" Ringo blushed and waved her hands frantically in the negative.

"No that's not what I meant!" Pudding groaned.

"Not you guys too. Since when?"

"Why, whatever are you talking about Pudding-chan?" Berri asked innocently. " All we did was go to the movies. You shouldn't think such dirty thoughts." Pudding blushed this time and stomped away.

"So why didn't you two tell us about Mint and Zakuro?" Ichigo asked. "It's not like you to keep secrets like this."

"Yes you surly didn't keep my relationship with Ryou a secret." Lettuce said semi-spitefully.

"Well that was because you didn't pay us. Which Zakuro and Mint did. Twenty-five thousand yen." Ringo stated, causing the elder two mew's jaws to drop.

"Twenty-five _thousand_!"

"Yup. But I suppose now it doesn't make any difference since the secrets out anyway."

"Yes it is, so who did you bitches tell?" They turned to see an unusually pissed Mint standing in the doorway with her arms folded.

"We didn't tell anyone Mint-chan, honestly" Berri said, worried by the look her friend was giving her.

"We don't know how it got out Mint-chan, but it wasn't from us."

"There was no one else who knew. Not even our parents. So who told the press? It couldn't have anyone but you two." Ichigo noticed with a start that Mint was clenching her fists so hard that blood was dripping from her hands. Despite the seeming calm of her voice.

"But Mint-chan we didn't-"

"STOP LYING!" All of the dishes and glassed shattered as Mint yelled.

"Interesting…" Keiichiro muttered, scribbling on his clipboard earning him a smack in the back of the head from Ryou.

"Mint-chan, just calm down." Ichigo said, holding her hands up, palms out in a placating gesture. "There's no need for you to lose control. I'm sure everything will be-"

"Don't you dare say everything will be alright, Ichigo, ' Cause it won't!" Mint fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "Zakuro is going to leave me because of this. I just know she is. She cares too much about her career to let this go on."

Ichigo knelt down and wrapped her arms around her distressed friend.

"I think you're underestimating Zakuro-chan. She's never actually cared about what the media says about her. Don't remember when they said that she was engaged to your cousin Taki, the singer? She just told whoever asked that she wasn't and that it was up to them whether they believed it or not."

"I hardly think the situations are parallel, Ichigo. No one would have disapproved if she were engaged to Taki, but she and I are both female and her fans would not like that. When she reads the paper she'll…she'll…" Mint dissolved into body-wracking sobs at that point.

At the same time, the furniture in the room started vibrating violently, causing Keiichiro's eyes to light up with scholarly intrigue.

"Emotional and Physical strain…Soul bound... EUREKA!" Keiichiro shouted, causing all of the occupants of the café, including Mint, to look up him startled.

"What the hell was that about?" Ryou demanded to know, with a glare.

"It appears that ksr-4 activates during extreme emotional and/or physical strain. It would also appear that Mint-chan's ksr-4 has awakened to give her astralkenetic powers. The damage done to the café is an example of this, which is similar in effect to telekinesis, which, as you all remember, Zakuro-chan demonstrated this morning. Astralkenesis effects things on a spiritual or astral level just telekinesis effect them on a physical level. I have concluded that this is because Mint-chan and Zakuro-chan have developed a soul bond between themselves.

"A what?" Ichigo asked.

"A soul bond. Their souls have been joined as one soul residing in two bodies, by the intense love they share for one another. Observe…" Keiichiro walked over to Ichigo and pinched her on the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Keiichiro held one finger up and looked at his watch as if timing something.

After a few moments, he heldall fivefingers out then counted down to one just as the door to the café burst open and a nearly rabid looking Masaya entered, going to Ichigo and pushing Mint out of the way before patting Ichigo up and down.

"M-Masaya, what are you doing?"

"Which one of them hurt you, Ichigo!" Ichigo blinked in confusion at the murderous look in her boyfriend's eyes.

"I-I'm fine, no one hurt me." Masaya smiled.

"Ok, good." He kissed her briefly before leaving the café, pausing to set the door back of its hinges.

"Soul bound couples can always tell what the other is feeling. It is a form of empathy, just like mother's intuition. Masaya-kun could tell that Ichigo-chan was in even the slightest amount of pain because they share a soul bond."

"But how do you know Zakuro and I do?" Keiichiro tapped Mint on the head with his pencil.

"Because your krs-4 sections developed in such similar ways. Pay attention Mint-chan."

"Humph. That still doesn't solve anything Keiichiro. Zakuro will still-"

"Correction my dear mew, Zakuro-chan can not leave you without draining her soul and yours of all energy." Judging by the blank looks he got from all of the mews, Keiichiro decided to use his last resort.

Pulling a chalkboard from hammers pace, Keiichiro went chibi.

"Ok it's like this." He drew to stick figures on the board. "Two people who become involved in a romantic relationship, if they're lucky, fall in love. " He drew a heart between them. "Once that happens, they develop a heart-bond. After enough time, if they stay loyal and keep falling deeper and deeper in love, a soul-bond develops." He drew circles around the two figures, with lines connecting to the heart. "Once a soul-bond is formed, the couples soul's feed energy back and forth between the two." He drew sad faces on the stick figures. " A Soul-bond is unbreakable for all eternity, so if the couple broke up their souls would still be connected and when the couple is separated the energy that would have gone to each other bounces off and careens into astral space. Once the soul's are completely drained of their energy…" He drew 'X's on the figures eyes. "The couple dies."

"But she doesn't know about this, She'll still leave me since she doesn't know."

"Maybe you should give Zakuro-chan more credit for how she fells about you before you just write off your relationship." The assembled party looked in shock to Pudding, who had decided that she wasn't pissed anymore and had rejoined the convorsation.

"Wow, you actually said something relevant to the topic at hand." The blond acrobat glared at Ryou.

"I can be just as calm and insightful as the rest of you if I choose to be."

"Somehow I doubt that Pudding-chan"


	3. Burned

Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode Chapter three

"What made you decide to take such extreme measures Fujiwara-san?" Zakuro crossed her legs and looked her lunch companion in the eye. A feat that lesser people wouldn't be able to handle.

"Your agency has a ruthless way of protecting its artists. Since you've expanded to nearly all forms of art in the past months, it would seem wise in my present situation to come to some sort of arrangement with you."

"I don't just take on anyone that asks Fujiwara-san." Undaunted by the tone in the man's voice and the cool look in his forest green eyes, Zakuro stirred milk into the coffee that had just been delivered to her.

"I'm aware of that Seguchi-san, but N-G contacted me first."

"True, but you have to remember Fujiwara-san that priorities sometimes change. We made the offer two weeks ago and you didn't return our call until yesterday morning. Bad manners don't bode well when you're trying to make a business deal." Zakuro tried her best to restrain the urge to snarl that seemed to come up more and more often since she became involved with the mew project. "You are a very talented girl, Fujiwara-san, but how do I know that signing you on with N-G won't prove to be waste of resources? How do I know that the only reason you gave our offer any thought is because you seek a way to protect yourself and Aizawa-san from this latest scandal?"

"There are several reasons I've considered signing with you Seguchi-san and the protection is just one if them. I know from the examples of Bad Luck, Nittle Grasper, and even ASK that you're a genius when it comes to handling business decisions. Whether or not you decide to sign me is your decision, but what it comes down to is if your willing to make a gamble on me as the first model signed with N-G. On my own I've amassed heavy exposure and have gotten myself to this point in my career solely by my own devices. What I want is to be sure that I can leave my career in the hands of capable individuals since, as you are know doubt aware, I've decided to return to school. Doing everything that's required for the proper management of career and balancing schoolwork is affect both adversely and there is no better solution I can think of than leaving a large part of my future in your hands." Tohma smirked, growing to like Zakuro more with every word she spoke.

She eerily reminded him of himself at her age.

With the exception of being a model, female, and sleeping with a multi-billion yen heiress, but who cares about details?

"You make a very impressive argument Fujiwara-san." He pulled a stack of documents and pen from his briefcase and set them in front of her. "As it so happens I had intended ion signing you either way and had your contract in hand when you called me yesterday." Zakuro ground her teeth, itching to sink her teeth into that superiorly smirking face of Seguchi's. "You've made a wise choice and I hope that you will continue with the caliber of work that we are used to seeing from you."

* * *

At the Mew Café everything was going pretty much as it normally did. Ichigo, Berri and Ringo were serving the customers, Pudding was walking a tightrope near the ceiling and dropping orders down to the other waitresses and Lettuce was cleaning up plate shards.

There were however some irregularities, such as a new waitress who had been hired to fill in for Zakuro and Mint since neither girl was there at the moment.

"Hurry up with that tea Ryou-ko-chan" Ichigo said trying her best to act professional for her customers and not laugh her ass off at the scene in front of her.

The new waitress, Ryouko-chan was trying to walk in the high heels that came with the waitress uniform while simultaneously taking the customers orders, avoiding stares from the male patrons (who thought the tall blond waitress who'd just started was the hottest of the lot), trying to smile constantly, and trying his best to refrain from clawing his co-workers eyes out.

"Ichigo-chan, why did you make him do this? It's really…creepy." Lettuce whined, quite upset at seeing her boyfriend's masculinity disappear with every step he took in his beige manolo blanicks.

"Because we're short-staffed. You know it usually takes ten people to run the café during lunch. Even with all of us here we need help, but with the other pair of lovebirds-"

"Lovebird and dog" Pudding interjected as she swung by on a trapeze.

"Lovebird and dog gone we had to get someone to help and since Café Mew is known for it's cute waitresses," She did the standard kawaii pose, "This was our only option." Lettuce looked back to Ryou just in time to see him wag his hips for a table of guys who barked as he walk away, and started crying.

Before Ichigo could reach out a hand to pat Lettuce on the shoulder the door to the cafe burst open and a blond American man entered.

"I'm looking for Fujiwara Zakuro and Aizawa Mint." Somehow Berri was chosen to be the representative.

Walking up to the man, she gulped audibly as she noted the .9-millimeter handguns that the carried in his shoulder holsters.

"Um-They aren't here right now. May I ask who's looking for them?"

"Fujiwara-san new manager. Tell them I came by and that Kumaguro-kun is very disappointed that they aren't taking care of their responsibilities and going to work like decent hardworking citizens." He didn't say another word or give anyone else a chance to before walking out of the café.

"That was-interesting." Ryou stated before covering his mouth with a ladylike blush. "Oops-I used my man voice. I've got to hurry that operation on."

All that can be heard from the café as we switch locales is a high-pitched whaling (heh).

* * *

Mint was just sitting down to tea at her Parent's house when her cell phone rang.

Reading the caller ID she frowned before ignoring it and turning her attention to her parents.

"Now, Mint, dear we know those awful stories about you in the paper aren't true. But, Darling why haven't you made a statement denying them?" She avoided her mother's eyes, instead focusing on the scone that had been placed in front of her.

"You know I don't much care for gossip mother. I figured it would all go away once so other pop idol touched children inappropriately or some author has an affair with his brother in laws employee."

"But a scandal this large can hardly be taken lightly. I mean how would you ever be able to find a husband if the whole civilized world thinks you're-a-a- you know one of _those_ people." Mint narrowed her eyes, raising them to her mother's artificially young looking face.

"One of what people, Mother?"

"You know," Ginger Aizawa looked around the room, as if making sure that only she, her daughter and husband, Parsley Aizawa, were in the room. "A _homosexual_." She had whispered the word as of it was tainted.

Mint clutched her hands in her lap and bit her lip in frustration.

Parsley, noticing his daughter's behavior, decided it best to change to the topic.

"So how is school going, dear? I hear you won the talent show with a scene form Swan Lake. Outstanding job, lambkin!"

"Thank you, Father."

"Stop trying to divert my attention Parsley!" Ginger raised an eyebrow at her daughter. " Mint, those rumors aren't true are they?"

"Er-What rumors Mother?" Ginger's eyebrow twitched.

"The rumors that you are sleeping with Fujiwara Zakuro, the model who happens to be your roommate, classmate, and co-worker. It would certainly explain why you spend so much time with the harlot." Mint flexed her fists. Fighting the urge to rip her mothers obviously fake nose off and toss it to the dogs (A/N: gomen Starcross-san)

" Zakuro is not a harlot mother."

"Oh, really? Then what you call someone who does all the distasteful ads she does?"

"You only think they're distasteful because they aren't for whiskey, cigarettes, or plastic surgery." Parsley disguised his laugh as a cough that failed to fool his wife.

After punching her husband in the arm rather roughly, she turned back to her daughter.

"Don't sass me, young lady! Now tell me the truth! Are you or aren't you sleeping with Fujiwara Zakuro?"

"Now, honey does it really matter who Mint chooses as a sexual partner?"

"Of COUSE IT MATTERS! What do think the club will say if they find out my daughter is a-a-a…a _lesbian_!"

"You don't even know for sure that she is! Mint-chan you don't have to answer that question, it's your business and not even you mother has a right to intrude upon it." Mint smiled at her father and was about to thank him, when he mother stood up and slapped him open-palmed.

"Don't you dare undermine me in front of her!" Her father rubbed his cheek and sighed, reining in his temper as he had become accustomed to doing after living with wife for the majority of his adult wife.

It certainly wasn't the first time she'd hit him, but Parsley was a rather large and powerful man and didn't really care to get charged with murder or spousal abuse.

Ginger turned once more to her daughter, ignoring her Parsley's protests.

"Is it true Mint?" The Mew in question looked into her mother's eyes.

A minute passed before she slowly nodded.

Ginger's falsley beautiful face turned into a grotesque mask of fury.

"After all we've done for you, this is how you show gratitude! By turning into a _dyke_!" She demanded, putting extra-emphasis on the slur.

"It wasn't my intention to show gratitude with it. It just happened. I've always been a fan of hers and then we met and started hanging out and I just…I love her, Mother!" Ginger didn't notice or maybe didn't care that her daughter had begun crying.

"…Get out."

"What?" Mint realized that her mother was staining the white carpet in the same way she had stained the floor of the café the day before.

By sawing into her palms with her nails.

"I said get out! Get out of my house I never want to see your face again!" Mint looked in shock to her father who was busy trying to keep his wife from murdering their daughter with her bare hands.

"Perhaps it would be better if you left for now, Mint, dear. I'll call you when she's in a better mood to talk." Mint nodded and thanked her parents for the tea-which none of them had touched-before nearly running out of the house.


	4. Redemeed

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Mode chapter four

"No, I haven't seen her since she ran out of the café yesterday morning, she didn't even come home last night." Zakuro looked up as the door opened and the missing person who had been the topic of her conversation with Pudding.

She hung up the phone without explanation or farewell as she recognized the look of utter betrayal on Mint's face.

"Where have you-"Zakuro did not get a chance to finish her question before Mint's lips captured hers.

"I was at my parent's" Mint replied to the half asked question before dropping her purse on the kitchen counter and going to the bedroom she and Zakuro shared.

"Why didn't you call me or answer the phone when I called you?" Mint chuckled spitefully.

"Because I was a little busy getting thrown out for being with you." Zakuro blinked, not quite sure what to say.

"I'm sorry." Mint snorted dismissively,

"What do you have to be sorry for? It's my own fault, I should have known better than to…"She sighed as sat down on the bed.

"You should have known better than to what?"

Mint stood up and walked to the closet, threw it open and selectively tossed clothes out.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Zakuro demanded, grabbing Mint's wrists to prevent further damage to her carefully arranged closet.

She noticed that the only clothes Mint had decided didn't belong in the closet were her own.

"What are you doing?" Zakuro repeated, wrapping her arms around Mint as the smaller girl sank to the ground.

Mint responded to her lover's question by burying her face in Zakuro's blouse, thereby ruining said article of clothing as she started crying for what must have been-By Mint's count-The twenty-seventh time in the past two days.

She reminded herself to look in Guineas book of world records for one on crying

"Kotori-chan…" Zakuro lifted Mint's chin up, staring into the sapphire orbs that seemed to contain an immense amount of pain, especially for a seventeen year old.

"Are you going to leave me, Zakuro?"

"Wha-What?" said Mew asked, taken aback by the question.

"I mean I completely understand why you would want to. It's not at all good for your career for people to know that you're sleeping with me, and despite this soul bond thing that Keiichiro claims we have I just want you to behappy and if that means that we can't be together then I understand…Zakuro?" It was at this point that Mint noticed that not only was Zakuro's eyebrow twitching, but also her wolf's ears and tail had appeared and were having a similar reaction.

"So," Her fangs had appeared as well, making Mint more than a little nervous. "Let me get this straight-in a manner of speaking-You think that because I'll lose a few fans who I've never met or because I'll be crucified by the media, I'll give up the best thing that's ever happened to me?" Mint avoided her eyes.

"Well I know that you are a really career minded-person and-" She was interrupted as Zakuro held a hand over her mouth.

"Before you go on another self-sacrificing diatribe, why don't you take a minute to reflect on the all things have happened between us in the past two years. We were the first people either of us ever slept with, You moved out of your parents house to be with me, I declined half the jobs that I normally would have taken so I could spend time with you, and every time we fight a new enemy one of us nearly gets killed trying to make sure the other didn't get hurt." Zakuro paused, half for breath and half for dramatic effect . "And most importantly, we love each other. How can you think that I would give up something so valuable even if my career was the exchange?" Zakuro removed her hand, awaiting an answer.

"I don't know I just-" Zakuro smiled.

It was one of the rare smiles saved only for her lover that made Mint short of breath every time she saw it.

"I'm sorry." Zakuro thumped the smaller girl on the forehead.

"You don't have anything to apologize for either." In a surprising feat of strength, Zakuro stood up , lifting Mint into her arms and carrying her across the room to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Mint asked between giggles as Zakuro laid her down and straddled her.

"Angst makes me horny." Came the calm rely as Zakuro set about the task of unbuttoning Mint's shirt which, as usual, turned out to be too frustrating and was eventually abandoned in favor of pulling the shirt over the blue-haired heiresses head.

"Everything makes you horny." Zakuro sat up, abandoning the process of ripping Mint's bra off with her teeth, in favor of quiet contemplation.

"You know… You're right…"Zakuro shrugged and resumed her attack on her prey, much to the pleasure of said prey.

* * *

"So how is your plan for the disposal of those seven little bitches going?" The dark lords avoided their master's eyes. "Ruby-eye?" Said dark lord folded her arms and turned an accusing glare on one of her cohorts. 

"I don't know why you thought it would be a good idea to make Death-Fog our leader, Shabranigdo-sama. He's utterly incompetent."

"Oh, Yeah? Well you wouldn't do any better a job than me!" Challenged Death-Fog.

"What difference does it make who leads us?" Dark Star said, getting pissed off "It won't matter who at fault if we don't get rid of those damn mew mews."

"Very eloquently put, Nana." She snarled at the last dark lord as he muttered under his breath

"You wanna say something Kyouya then jus' say it instead o' bein' all sneaky about it!"

"I wasn't being sneaky, Dark-Star. I was just making a point. Don't get you panties all in a twist over it."

Nana Shirogane, the reincarnation of the Dark Lord, Dark Star, blushed and punched Chaotic-blue's reincarnation, Kyouya Yamata, in the arm.

"Now, Now we'll have no in-fighting, save that for earth." Chided the reincarnation of the Lord of Death, Shabranigdo, ruler of the demon race, Chidori Tsukasa.

"Even if we had destroyed the mews there's still the little matter of Wicked-Sin to take care of." Stated the reincarnation of Ruby-Eye, Tsukiko Umino. "He is technically still a dark lord even he did switch sides, there isn't anything we can do to get rid of him. He was more powerful than all of us." Tsukiko swished her panther tail in the air angrily. "It was his idea to come to this stupid planet in the first place, so why are we the ones stuck carrying out his plan?"

"Because Wicked was weak, spiritually weak." Kyouya answered. "He fell for a goddess which turned him against us."

"Its kind of our fault too isn't it?" asked the reincarnation of Death Fog, Yuu Asakawa. "If we hadn't left him here then she never would have gotten to him."

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is and I don't want to hear anymore blame shifting. Wicked Sin is our enemy now. There isn't any way we can avoid that fact. Until we kill off his precious mew mews then we can't get to him and until we get to him, we can't have earth. Keep your priorities in check and follow that sequence of events, got it?"

"Yes, Shabranigdo-sama." The four Dark Lords answered simultaneously, bowing.

"That's all you're fee to go for the moment." The Lords bowed again before shuffling out of the room. "Oh and by the way," Shabranigdo began causing the Lords to pause at the door. "I want a full report of another attack by weeks end."

"Yes, Shabranigdo-sama."

* * *

Author's Notes: Kotori-chan would mean dear little bird. An apt nickename for Mint I think 


	5. Saved

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco Chapter Five

The next morning at café mew, Pudding, Berri, Ichigo, Ringo and Lettuce watched as Zakuro and Mint very obviously flirted with each other as they worked.

"They're even worse then they were before." Pudding said, curling her lip in disgust.

"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone to flirt with." Ichigo said as she wiped down a table.

"You're always jealous when someone has a boyfriend or girlfriend, Pudding-chan. And come to think of it, you're the only one of us who hasn't gone out with someone." Pudding blushed at Berri's comment.

"S-So?"

"So maybe you're just jealous." Lettuce stated.

"I-I am not jealous. And what about Ringo? She hasn't gone out with anyone either!"

"That's because Ringo is obsessed with her brother and doesn't have time to go out with anyone." Ichigo stated.

"I am not _obsessed_ with my brother and as a matter of fact I've been going out with someone for the past three months!"

"Really?" Berri asked, an odd grin replacing her normal smile. "And who might that be?" Ringo frowned for a moment, contemplating the grin before folding her arms.

"I'm not telling."

"If you ladies would stop gossiping and get back to work then we could actually make a profit." The five girls glared back at Ryou.

"Don't you know what they say about coming in between girls and their gossip, Ryouko-chan?" Pudding asked.

"Don't call him that!" Lettuce yelled, still traumatized by the previous days cross-dressing events.

"No. what do they say, Pudding-chan?" Pudding blinked several times.

"I don't know I was asking you." Pudding shrugged and went back to washing tables.

"Look, Ryou-kun. There are not many customers yet and Zakuro and Mint's little flirting show are entertaining the ones that are here. So then don't we deserve to have a little break once in a while?" Ichigo asked, sweetly.

"The lunch rush is almost here and-" Ryou stopped his lecture short and looked to the door of the café just as a customer walked into the café.

"Ryou-kun?" Ichigo waved her hand in front of Ryou's face as he stared at the leggy blond girl who had just walked in.

"Ryou what are you staring at?" Lettuce demanded to know putting her hands on her hips and walking over to her entranced boyfriend.

"That girl…she's-" Lettuce slapped Ryou across the face before marching into the kitchen with a choked sob.

"That was a dumb move." Ichigo commented dryly.

Ryou turned to her, blinking in bewilderment.

"Huh?"

"You were gawking at another girl while your girlfriend was standing right next to you. Honestly, I thought even you could be smarter than that!" Pudding stated.

Ryou uncharacteristically growled, not at the particular mews who happened to be standing around him but at mysterious blond girl.

Seeming to sense his ire, she turned to look at him and smirked before motioning him to follow her outside.

"Do you have death wish Ryou-kun! If Lettuce comes back and finds that you left with some strange girl she'll have a coronary!" Ichigo cried, waving her hands frantically.

"I'll only be a minute." Ryou pushed past the four girls and stormed over to the newcomer, grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her outside of the café

"This doesn't look good." Berri said almost sympathetically before a butterfly that happened to enter the café attracted her attention.

"It looked like he knew her." Pudding observed while balancing plates.

"She's probably a scorned ex-girlfriend and is pregnant with his child but doesn't want her parents to find out about the baby because she's only 13 and they would disown her so she's cooked up some elaborate get away scheme and wants Ryou to go with her only he can't because he's in love with Lettuce-chan and would rather die than betray her so she says 'have it you way' like a burger king commercial then pulls a gun out of the back of her skirt and just as she's about to shoot him the chest a masked hero rides up and saves his life."

Pudding, Ichigo and Berri stood speechless as Ringo told the sordid tale of Ryou's unlucky love life.

"I think you nay have gone too far, Ringo-chan." Ichigo stated and was wholeheartedly supported by the other two mews.

Outside, Ryou roughly flung the blond-girl away from himself and regarded her with a scowl.

"What are you doing here, Nana?" The reincarnated lord of retribution contemplated the man in front of her.

"A'int ya happy ta see me Wicked sin? It's been… What two, three decades since ya left us for that magician wench of yours? What was her name? Spica or somethin'?"

Ryou growled, his felenic fangs showing clearly.

"Now don't git all uppity I jes wanted to see how y'all were doin' down here. Is it so bad for a girl to want to see her only brother?"

"Chidori sent you didn't she?"

"Naw, the mistress hasn't the slightest idea ah'm here." Nana's expression turned deadly serious for a moment "In truth, Shabranigdo-sama wants ya dead. We got orders to kill you and anyone you're associated with on sight, 'specially them mew mews."

"Then why are you here? The last I remember you more loyal to Chidori than all of us."

"I may be loyal to _Shabranigdo-sama_," Nana said, stressing the title, irritated that Ryou refused to use it. "But blood is thicker than loyalty in my books. I can't jes sit around and let her kill you. Like I said you're mah only brother and It'd really tear me up if I let somethin' happen to ya when I knew I coulda done somethin' ta help you."

Ryou narrowed his eyes as Nana's expression turned wistful.

"What do you mean by that?" Nana grinned, took her hands out of her pocket, and held them toward Ryou as she closed her eyes and began chanting under her breath. "Nana what are you-" Nana's hands started to glow and she stopped chanting, opened her eyes and grinned. "What was all that?"

" STRIVER " As Nana said the word the light transferred from her hands to Ryou were it stayed for a moment before fading.

"That was White magic just then wasn't it?" Nana nodded and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow before plopping down to one of the benches outside of the café that customers used when the weather was nice enough to be outside for extended periods.

"I can't directly interfere with Shabranigdo-sama's orders and do somethin' like fight beside you. You may be mah brother but you are still a traitor and for that I cannot forgive you. What I can do and jes' did was transfer some of mah power to you so that when the Dark Lords and eventually Shabranigdo-sama come after you guys you'll at least have somethin' ta protect you're friends with. Seein' how Shabranigdo-sama stripped ya of everythin' but immortality and all."

"Nana…" The blond girl shook her head and smiled as she stood up again.

"Don't say anythin' Ryou. Just be ready when we come for ya. Bye." Ryou stood for a moment, staring at his sister's retreating until she vanished in a flurry of snow.

Shaking his head at the peculiar actions of his former comrade, Ryou retreated into the café to five several very upset waitresses.

"Now before you say anything just let me-"

"What the hell did you go and do that for Ryou ! Lettuce-chan is crying her eyes out now 'cause she thinks she isn't good enough for you!' Cause she isn't a big slut like that woman who just left!" Mint said, starting the lecture off with a bang.

"Now see here, Mint-chan, that girl is my-"

"Scorned ex-lover?" Ichigo suggested

"No! She's my-"

"Baby's mama?" supplied Berri

"NO! My-"

"Summer fling from you last trip to Mexico?" inquired Ringo

"What? No my-"

"Well if she isn't your ex, or your child's mother or your," Zakuro paused to spare a 'your insane and you need help look' Ringo "Mexican summer fling then what is she?"

"Probably who the no good tom cat's been cheating on Lettuce-chan with." Pudding said scornfully, uncharacteristically glaring at Ryou.

Ryou tugged at the roots of his hair as he tried to figure out the best way to explain that Nana was his sister and the reincarnation of an ancient goddess of retribution who was disobeying her masters orders by not killing him and everyone else and that he himself happened to be the reincarnation of an ancient god of terror who betrayed his comrades by falling in love with a human and choosing to live with her for eternity.

Keiichiro saved him from the explanation.

"Hey Ryou-kun, wasn't that your sister I just saw in here? Where'd she go? I wanted to say hi but I busy with a customer."

"SISTER!" The mew mews said simultaneously in shock (except for Zakuro who eyes only widened slightly and for Berri who had been distracted by a caterpillar on a window sill)

"Yes. His older sister by three years. She moved to the States a while ago. How long is she going to be in town, Ryo-kun? We should throw her 'welcome back' party." Ryou thanked whatever decent god or goddess still listened to his prayers and had sent Keiichiro at that moment.

"Oh, not long. I think she said she was leaving this afternoon. She just wanted to see how I was."

"Oh that's too bad. Oh well." Keiichiro said going about his way.

"Uh-Ryou-kun-" Ichigo started.

"Just save it." Ryou said as he set about the task of locating and placating his girlfriend.

* * *

Authors notes: Nana's speech is written like that because she has Kansai accent.Never mind the fact that she and Ryou are siblings and he doesn't have it. I modeled all the dark lords after the great spirits from Diabolo which also doesn't belong to me. 


	6. Contracted

Tokyo Mew Mew A La Fresco chapter 6:

Mint sat at the table nervously playing with the hem of her skirt.

Zakuro on the other hand, who sat next to her, was the very picture of calmness as she lifter her teacup to her lips.

"You should just relax." The violet haired model said, bending down to Mints ear to be heard over the commotion of the restaurant in which they patiently waited for the rest of their party.

"What do you mean relax!" Mint hissed in response. "How am I supposed to be relaxed when I'm meeting your-" Mints angry diatribe was ended before it could begin by her head being forcibly turned to the left and a pair of lips being pressed to her own.

After what seemed like an eternity but was in actuality only 13 minutes, Zakuro pulled away ending the kiss and leaning her head against Mint's for stability.

"You don't have to be nervous, kotori-chan. Whether they like you or approve of you or fall madly in love with you at first sight, my feelings for you will remain the same as they have been since the night Ichigo left for England with Masaya-kun. I thought we had cleared that up two days ago."

"I know we did but…" Zakuro sat back up with a sigh and fixed her lover with a pointed glare.

"Stop being so stubborn about this. I thought you were mixed with bird genes not pig." Mint frowned at the thought.

"And how did you know what I was worried about anyway?" Before Zakuro could answer a commotion was heard in the back of the restaurant.

As the two mews turned to look they saw Keiichiro run their way and stop next to their table, doubled over in an attempt to catch his breath.

Once he had he pulled out his clip board and wrapped Mint lightly on the head.

"Soul bound couples can feel each others emotions and can in effect read each others minds."

"Er-oh yeah." Keiichiro nodded and bowed to the two bewildered news before running out the door of the restaurant with several of the establishments burlier employees following him in heated ire.

"Was that the manager form the café. I just saw running out the door. He should be more careful when reminding his subordinates about things." Zakuro's and Mint's attention turned to the rather short blond man in a black bowler and matching coat that was suddenly at the side of their table.

"Don't pay him any attention. Where's K-san I thought he was coming too?" Zakuro asked as the man sat down across the booth from the two girls.

Seguchi sighed.

"He thought it would be fun to join in the lynching party of your boss. You know K-san always ready to have fun." Seguchi turned his unnerving smile on Mint "And you must be Aizawa-san. I've read and heard so much about you from the tabloids. I must say I was rather surprised when Fujiwara-san confessed to me that she had given her own story to those hounds but then again who better to give them the story than the people who know it best. Am I right?" Mint narrowed her eyes and turned to Zakuro who was staring very hard at the ceiling and trying not be dragged into this part of the conversation.

"Yes I suppose you are right." Mint replied. "Now, Seguchi-san why was it exactly that you asked me here? I don't imagine that you intend to have me run over by a car like you did my cousin Taki? You and I both know my reflexes are to well developed for me to be caught like that. Bird genes and all." Tohma smiled, pleased to found someone who appeared to be his rival in the game of 'I'm going to be polite while I am really trying to be excessively cruel.'

Fujiwara was the type that would be apathetic about it until they got so pissed off they'd either start coughing up blood or threaten to kill you (like both of his brothers in law and his wife happened to be.)

"Ah, yes I do believe Fujiwara-san mentioned that both of you were part of that notorious band of half animal vigilantes. As a matter of fact I happen to be very interested in the technology that made that possible so would it be too much trouble if you..." Tohma let the sentence hang in the air and smiled.

"We can't sell it to you 'cause we don't own it sorry."

"Ah, well can't say I didn't try" Tohma sighed heavily as if he really regretted something. "Now how about we get to business, hmmm?"

"That's fine with me." Mint said as she reached into the basket of bread that had been placed on the table and chose a slice with unnecessary deliberation.

"Fujiwara-san has no doubt informed you of the proposition I made to her at our last meeting, correct?" Mint frowned as she nibbled her bread.

"Yeah, that's something I didn't understand. Why would you want to give me a contract? I'm not a musician or a model. I don't have anything to offer N-G." Tohma chuckled in a knowing way.

"I beg to differ, Aizawa-san, you are a dancer, are you not?" Mint's frown deepened.

"Yes, but I'm far from professional Seguchi-san, it's just something I do as a hobby." Seguchi's smile grew as he reached into the black briefcase he had bought.

Mint and Zakuro refrained from commenting on the Yuki Eiri plushie that hung from the handle.

"Regardless of whether it is a hobby or not, Aizawa-san, the fact remains that you are still an artist and N-G is the market for any fresh new face it can find. Particularly of the female variety. Given the success we've had with Nittle Grasper, Bad Luck and ASK people tend to think of us as being overly biased to males. Fujiwara-san is one of our exceptions. With you aboard I think we can prove that we like girls just as much as we like boys."

"But I hardly need-"

"The money?" Tohma cocked his head to the side slyly "For give me if this is tender subject Aizawa-san but I do believe that your parents have nullified their claim on you and yours on your inheritance since finding out about your relationship with Fujiwara-san, have they not?" Mint clenched her teeth and fists as she narrowed her eyes at the blond man sitting across from her.

"How the hell did you find out about that?" Mint turned her glare at Zakuro who returned it.

"I had nothing to do with that so don't you dare even think of accusing me."

"Why shouldn't I! You told the press about us so why couldn't have told Seguchi and probably the rest of the world about what my mother did?"

"I told the press because like he said they would have found out eventually and I didn't see any reason to prolong the inevitable and wait to get caught in the act so the story could get twisted around."

"There are _two_ of us in this relationship and if you wanted to tell the press you should have consulted me about it first!"

"So I have to ask your permission before I do everything now? Is that what your trying to say?"

"When it comes to things that involve me yes!"

"Oh, well then do you mind if I roll my eyes now? It has too do with you since I think you're overreacting about this."

"I am not overreacting! My parents _disowned_ me because of this and it's _your_ fault!"

"So you're pinning all of the blame on me when I've been asking you to tell your parents for months and you keep putting it off with lame excuses?"

"_Yes_!" Zakuro's expression relaxed into her normal expressionless 'stone-face', a sure sign that she was quite upset since they were in the middle of an argument.

"I see. Well, if it's my fault then I suppose I should go fix it right?" Mint's frown turned confused as Zakuro stood up.

"What are you talking about? Where are you going?" She received no answer as Zakuro collected her things and strode out of the restaurant.

"Well, that was interesting." Tohma commented.

Mint grimaced as she suddenly realized that Seguchi and half the restaurant had just witnessed the fight.

"I'm very sorry you had to see that, Seguchi-san."

"It's all right. Lover's spats tend to happen around me quite often." Seguchi out a finger to his chin. "I haven't the slightest idea why." He shrugged and handed Mint the sheet of paper he had just pulled his briefcase.

"What's this?"

"The summary of your contract." Mint looked up at him in shock. "Of course there is a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that goes with it but that's the condensed version. You sign with N-G and you'll get maximum exposure to further you career."

"But…I don't even know if I want to dance for a living, like I said it's just a hobby." Tohma shrugged again.

"You sing with N-G and you have full artistic flexibility. You sign today as a dancer and tomorrow you decide to be a singer and we'll say 'country or jazz?'"

Mint raised a skeptical eyebrow?

"It's that simple?"

"Do you doubt my word?"

"Of course I doubt your word! You had my cousin run over by a car!" Seguchi grimaced.

"Yes, that was a very unfortunate but necessary accident. He was sticking his nose into the cocaine without knowing the purity." Before she could puzzle out the unusual metaphor, Tohma soldiered on. "By signing with N-G you can be assured that any publication that mentions your relationship with Fujiwara-san without your consent will be indefinitely shut down." There was a cruel, megalomanical gleam in Seguchi's eyes that would have made Mint shiver if her pride hadn't interfered.

Mint sighed and realized that this was probably a very good idea and at the least, her relationship with Zakuro would be protected from the unforgiving media.

That is if they still had a relationship by the end of the night.

Sou bound or not, Zakuro had obviously been very pissed when she left the restaurant.

And a pissed Zakuro was someone whom Mint would rather go against an army of Deep Blues than face.

"So, Aizawa-san, do we have a deal?"

"…Where do I sign?"


	7. Informed

Tokyo mew mew al La Fresco chapter seven: Informed.

"Ryou-kun…"

"I can't talk now I have to-"

"What was your sister doing here this afternoon?" Ryou stopped in the act of typing furiously on his laptop to look over his shoulder at Keiichiro who stood I the doorway with his arms folded looking less than enthused about life in general and more specifically with Ryou.

"She just stopped by to say hello." Keiichiro growled low in his throat.

"Don't lie to me, Ryou. It had something to do with all of those Kirema anima's the girls have been fighting recently doesn't it?" When he received no answer he walked to Ryou's chair and spun it around, leaning on the arms of the chair and down into Ryou's face. "Shabranigdo is coming isn't she." It was a statement-of-fact rather than a question but Ryou nodded in acknowledgement.

"She's given the Dark Lords orders to kill all of us on sight."

Keiichiro stood up with an angry snarl and began pacing the lab like a caged dog.

"That's nice and when exactly where you planning to tell me about this!"

"I just hadn't gotten around to it.

"Great and exactly what did you plan to tell the girls when L-sama outs you? You surely can't stay in the inter-dimensional demon closet after Death Fog starts targeting you instead of Ichigo-chan and the others."

"I know that!"

"I hope you also know that the girls can't possibly hope to defeat any of the lords, let alone Shabranigdo herself. You'll have to do it alone."

Ryou tugged at the roots of his hair in frustration.

"I know that! I know all of that! Don't you think I've contemplated every consequence of this! I knew this would come when Shabranigdo recognized the technology that made the mew mews! And what the hell do you think I've been doing down here since Nana left! Lettuce thinks I'm cheating on her when I've really only been trying to reverse what I've done to them to save their lives. I know they can't handle this. That's why I didn't tell you because I didn't want to get lectured about it when I already felt bad enough!"

Keiichiro calmed down slightly after seeing and hearing his friend's obvious anguish.

"Its too late Ryou-kun. They've already mutated too far to go back, just like the dark lords and us. The girls are Tokyo Mew Mew and they will always be Tokyo Mew Mew for as long as they live…which given current events probably won't be too long."

Ryou shook his head slowly.

"They can't get involved in this."

Keiichiro laughed bitterly.

"Yeah, I can just imagine the reception you'll receive at that. Try not to break too much furniture while getting pummeled by our little menagerie."

"Isn't there something you could do? A spell or something to keep them out of harm's way?"

"That's impossible and you know it. They're too headstrong and they aren't exactly human anymore. Beside those two crucial details, Spica sealed most of my powers. I'm a magician, not a miracle worker."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do? Just let them die! I've already lost Spica and I won't loose Lettuce! I'm tired of people dying for my mistakes!"

Keiichiro refolded his arms and frowned deep in thought.

"There is…one thing we could try. But you aren't gonna like it."

Ryou looked up at Keiichiro though frustrated, hopeful, and irritated eyes.

"Just spit it out already!"

* * *

Parsley Aizawa was busy flicking through the channels on his new 70-inch LCD television screen when the doorbell rang. 

Cursing with language taught only on the sea, he went to answer the caller.

Ever since the story about his daughter had appeared on the front page of the newspaper, every journalist on the islands of Japan and a few places beyond had flocked to Tokyo to discuss Mint's relationship.

Parsley had taken to answering the door himself after his butler had gotten so flustered with the constant stream of visitors and never ending questions that he had proceeded to pull out what little hair he had left and quit.

"Yes, who…oh it's you." The master of the house said in tones of utter surprise.

"I'm sorry to bother you sir but I think that given the current situation it would e best if discussed some things. I would have brought Mint with me but she isn't being quite rational at the moment."

"Neither is Ginger." Parsley muttered, passing a hand through his salt and pepper colored hair. "I supposed your right, it would be a good idea. Come in and be quick about it, If Ginger were to find out that you were here she would seriously attempt to eviscerate you." He stepped aside to let Zakuro through the door then lead her to the parlor after closing it.

The maid followed them and took her employer's request for tea to the question.

"Now then, Fujiwara-san. What would you like to cover first? The fatherly lecture, Your plans for the future, or what you intend to do about this current media crisis?"

Zakuro sighed, realizing that this was going to be much harder than she had expected it to be.

* * *

Ichigo waved goodbye to the last of the customers in the café and closed the door. 

"Ichi-chan…" Berri said, her voice lacking its usual energy and playfulness. That alone has Ichigo turning around, worried. "Can you feel it?"

"What do you mean?" Berri wrapped her arms around herself and sat down at one of the tables, shivering slightly.

Looking around for help as to what to do, Ichigo remembered that she and Berri were the only Mew Mews closing that night, Keiichiro, and Ryou were always boarded in their lab at this time of night.

"Are you okay, Berri-chan? You look a little pale."

"They're coming Ichi-chan and there's nothing we can do about it! There's nothing we can do to stop them!"

"Stop who?" Berri grabbed her head before she could answer and started whimpering. "B-Berrichan what's the matter with you? You have to tell me of I won't be able to help you." Ichigo grabbed Berri by the shoulders and let her go just as quickly as her empathic power let her feel just how frightened her fellow Mew really was.

"J-Just hang on a second, Berri-chan, I'll go get Ryou and Ichigo, maybe they'll be able to help you."

Putting her feline speed to work, Ichigo sprinted through the café and down the flight of steps to the basement to find Ryou and Keiichiro in the midst of a heated argument.

"Are you fucking crazy ! You can't do that ! I won't let you!" Ryou said standing up challengingly to Keiichiro who stood his ground and looked down at the shorter boy with an air that was clearly nonplused by the aggressive attitude.

"Don't be stupid about this. This is out only option thus far. You know the principle of Equivalent Exchange, Ryou-kun so unless you want to consign them to-Oh hello Ichi-chan! I didn't see you there, is there something we can help you with? Ichigo blinked.

Keiichiro had gone back to his normal cherry manner in the literally the blink of an eye.

The way his voice had sounded a moment again, talking to Ryou had been hard and shrewd and had quite frankly scared the shit out of Ichigo.

"…ER-oh yeah, Berri-chan is having a panic attack or something! She keeps muttering about someone coming and us being able to do nothing about it."

Ryou and Keiichiro exchanged a quick alarmed glance before rushing up to the café, both of them running as Ichigo had never seen before, to find Berri somewhat more calm.

Calm to the effect that she was no longer incoherently babbling or whimpering, just sobbing into Tasuku's shoulder as her held her, whispering comfortingly.

"What did you people do to her?" He asked coldly, staring at Ryou with murderous intent.

"She's awakening to her psychic powers that were involved in the Mew Mew project. Keiichiro said, visibly relaxing for Tasuku's benefit but Ichigo could tell that her was even more tense than her had been when she'd first told them." My best guess is that she'd developed the power of Foresight. The ability to see into the future and witness events that may or may not occurs. " Keiichiro said, not bothering to fetch his clipboard (A/N: gomen nasai Drive Me Mercury-san).

"So why is she so freaked out? What does she mean about not being able to beat someone and everyone dying?"

"I don't know." Keiichiro replied without missing a beat.

"Well you damn well figure it out soon and if this is hurting her you'll pay for it." Tasuku threatened, leading Berri out of the café, sparing one last glare at the three others present and lingering for an extra moment on Ryou.

After the two junior-high students left, Ichigo turned to her employers with narrowed eyes.

"You lied to Tasuku I could feel it. You know what she saw and why she's so upset. It's got something to do with our new enemies doesn't it?"

"Ichigo-chan…"She glared sideways at Keiichiro then turned to Ryou whom she could always trust to be the more honest of the two.

"Ryou, tell me what's going on." The blond sighed and exchanged a brief glance with Keiichiro in which both of them wordlessly agreed that they had to tell the Mews the truth at some point.

Why not start with the first Mew Mew to join their ranks?

"You aren't going to like it."

"I don't care. Just tell me."


	8. Truth

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco Chapter Eight

Shirogane Ryou had never been more nervous in his entire life.

Here he was sitting in what he and Keiichiro had affectionately named the 'war room' but was in actuality just a section of their lab in the basement of the café, waiting for the seven members of Tokyo mew mew to arrive while he nervously tapped an anxious foot.

"You should try to be a little more relaxed. They're going to be able to sense that something is wrong." Keiichiro said

Ryou glared coldly at him

"No shit Sherlock, and in case you haven't noticed Keiichiro there is something wrong. Five somethings in fact and all five of them want to kill us. You think the girls'll be able to sense that they're something wrong when they're six feet in the ground!"

"Get a grip on yourself and stop acting like a sullen angsty teenager, you're who knows how many years old and you're sulking over-" Ryou stood up, infuriated

"Do not talk to me as if you know what I'm going through you can't possibly-" Keiichiro met his angry snarl with a cool look and even cooler reply.

"I don't know what's its like to be hunted Ryou-kun is that whet you were going to say? Try and remember the circumstances of our firsts meeting and then you might want to revise that statement." Ryou's anger diminished as he did what her was told and sat back down.

"…I'm sorry, you're right."

"I know!" Keiichiro said with all of his usual flippant cheer, which got an eye roll in response to the answer.

Ichigo looked up at café mew from the outside with a sigh.

The last four years of her life had been spent here with the other six members of Tokyo mew mew and Keiichiro and Ryou.

They were like her second family and this was like her second home.

To think that there might be something that had been hidden from her about this place and about the people that worked here honestly scared her more than anything did.

Well except death of course. Her own or anyone else's.

She took a deep breath and entered the café, wondering silently if anyone else had arrived yet.

Ryou had told her the pervious night to come back exactly 24 hours from when Meguro had taken Berri home to come back to the café and he would explain everything.

She had been instructed to tell everyone else involved in the mew mew project to come as well, which included the mews themselves as well as Masaya and Tasuku.

"Ichigo…" She jumped and turned around to see Masaya behind her looking even more serious than when he had been possessed by Deep Blue.

"Uh-I think they should be in the basement." As she began to lead the way she was pulled back by Masaya grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms. "Ma-Masaya what-"

"What ever it is that's happening Ichigo I want you to know that I'll support you in anyway I can and that I'll always be there for you to lean back on." Ichigo smiled to herself and did just that.

"Thank you."

Their touching and slightly sickening moment was interrupted by the clearing of someone's throat form behind them.

"If you two are done, do not you think it's time we see what Ryou and Keiichiro have to say" Pudding asked loudly." Ichigo pulled herself out of Masaya's arms, blushing profusely and led the other two to the basement.

"Ryou-kun we're here…"Ichigo broke off and turned around shutting the door to the 'war room' and faced her two companions.

"Er-Ichigo?" Masaya asked.

"…Ryou and Lettuce are-uh-making up." Pudding and Masaya exchanged glances then simultaneously blushed.

Keiichiro came from the greater section of the lab to greet the three new arrivals.

"They've been at it for a good ten minutes now. I gave Ryou-kun a fifteen minute time limit and hopefully he'll stick to it."

"Humph, well at least they we're able to make up." Mint commented as she and Ringo joined the throng of people waiting outside the war room.

"Wow, Mint-chan you look horrible, your eyes are all bloodshot and aren't those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?" Pudding asked bluntly, causing everyone to sweatdrop.

Mint curled her lip in a decidedly nasty sneer.

"Why yes they are Pudding-chan. I just felt like being a little bummy today so I didn't bother to change. I slept in them too in case you were wondering."

Pudding frowned and folded her arms.

"You don't have to be so mean about everything. I was just concerned is all!"

"Well don't be. I don't need you or anyone else concerned about me. I can take care of myself just fine!" Mint snarled, pushing past Ichigo despite her protests, barging into the war room, ordering Ryou and Lettuce to 'get a fucking room' (literally) and sitting down at the table.

"Er-that's one way of getting the point across I suppose. Shall we begin now?" Keiichiro asked as he, Ichigo, Ringo, Pudding, Masaya and the newcomers Berri and Tasuku entered and sat down.

"We still have to wait for Zakuro-san." Berri reminded them.

"Er-I don't think she's coming" Ichigo said. "I couldn't reach her so I don't think she knows about this."

"Well then we'll just have to rely on Mint-chan to fill her in right?" Keiichiro asked Mint

"…Right." Said mew answered, avoiding the gazes of her friends.

" Okay then I suppose we should start with Ryou-kun's sister, agreed?" Those assembled answered in unanimously.

"Agreed."

An hour later the mews plus Masaya and Tasuku sat around the war room table with their eyebrows raised and looks of general skepticism writ across their faces.

"Ok," Berri began, "Lets see if I've got this straight: Ryou is an inter-dimensional demon who used to be loyal to Shabranigdo, right?"

"Right." Said blond confirmed.

"And Keiichiro is a witch."

"Magician." Keiichiro corrected.

"Right, Shabranigdo sent Ryou to kill Keiichiro and his sister, Spryke-"

"Spica. Spy-Ka" Keiichiro corrected again

"Right, 'cause you were a threat to her and her dark lords of which you were the most powerful."

"Right." Ryou sighed

"But you couldn't kill them because you fell in love with Spica and decided to leave the dark lords for her." Ichigo continued.

"Right."

"Except when Shabranigdo found out she sent the other four dark lords after you and Spica was killed."

"Right."

"But not before she sealed most of your powers Keiichiro to prevent Shabranigdo from having any use for you."

"Right."

"And the mew mew project is the result of what's left of you powers."

"Right."

"And now Shabranigdo is back and wants…what?"

"She, of course, wants Earth. She doesn't want anything from it though, she just enjoys conquering new dimensions."

"Ok," Pudding said standing up in her chair, "We'll just kick her ass like we do all of our enemies! Simple!" She snapped her fingers to demonstrate the simplicity of the task.

"It's not simple at all." Ryou sighed again. "I hate to say it but you guys don't stand a snowflakes chance in hell against any of the Dark Lords, let alone Shabranigdo herself."

"If that's true then why bother telling us?" Mint asked, speaking for the first time since Keiichiro and Ryou began their story. "Why not let us just die in peace and be rid of this whole godsforsaken mess?"

"Mint-chan-…" Ichigo began warningly

"Don't Mint-chan me. You heard him; we don't stand a chance! Why should we even bother we there's no hope for us anyway!"

"We at least have to try!" Lettuce exclaimed.

"No we don't! This is not our problem! This all happened 'cause Ryou couldn't keep his libido under control! If it is anyone's fault its his! We never would have even been involved in this if it weren't for his meddling in our lives!"

"Why are getting so mad now? You've never complained before." Ringo asked.

"Because I'm sick and fucking tired of being jerked around by those two! They knew this was coming long before we even became mew mews! They should have had the flippin' decency, before we agreed to be Tokyo Mew Mew, to at least say 'you know what there's going to be an enemy one day that you have absolutely no hope in defeating and you will without a doubt die from it.' But they didn't because they're sociopathic assholes!" Mint was standing up now too and staring back and forth in between Keiichiro and Ryou challengingly.

"Mint-chan that's completely uncalled for!" Lettuce cried

"No, it's not. She's right." Ryou said, ignoring the shocked expression on his girlfriend's face. "We should have been upfront with you in the first place. We lied to you and we know it was the wrong course of action to take."

"The important thing is that we're telling you now." Keiichiro added.

"Why are you telling them now?" Masaya asked, clearly trembling with the urge to knock both other men out for putting his Ichigo in such danger, as was Tasuku for Berri.

"So they'll get the hint and leave Tokyo as soon as possible. Take your families and anyone else you want to save but you need to leave as soon as possible. Shabranigdo is sending the Dark Lords after me and they won't hesitate to wipe out the city if I don't come quietly, which I don't plan on doing." Ryou said

"That's absurd. Of course we're not leaving!" Lettuce stated, folding her arms.

"Lettuce-"

"We don't care if you lied to us or not. We are not leaving just because you _think _we can't handle something. You've underestimated us before and everytime we think we've been defeated we always manage to pull through somehow. We aren't going to let your past dictate our future. We will stay, we will fight, and if we are killed in the end then at least we'll have done something to help instead of running away like cowards. Right, girls?" Lettuce asked, the other mews nodding in response, identical determined expressions across their faces.

The only mew in attendance that hadn't agreed was Mint.

"Mint-chan?" Pudding asked.

"…I don't want to fight for someone who lies to me…but I won't run either…So, yeah, I'll stay and fight for Tokyo not you two."

Knowing that was as much of an agreement as they were going to get from Mint the other Mews turned to face their employers.

Keiichiro and Ryou exchanged wary looks, knowing that there was no way they could possibly argue against six determined women who just happened to have the genes of seven animals who would also fight until their dying breaths, conceded to the will of their creations and began potting their plan of action.


	9. Suffer

Tokyo mew mew a la fresco chapter nine: Suffer

Fujiwara Zakuro, model, actress, international superstar and super heroine lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, and reflected on the past twenty-four hours of her life, in which she had proceeded to make a fool out of herself, hurt the person she loved, and sell her soul to the devil to rectify the first two situations.

_Flashback_

"Now, Fujiwara-san, I understand that you've been seeing my daughter for quite sometime now. Tell me; by any chance are you a psychopath?"

Zakuro blinked bewildered at Parsley Aizawa as they both sat down in the parlor.

"…Er…No, Sir."

"Alright then, do you have suicidal and/or homicidal tendencies?"

"What! NO!"

"Then why, pray tell, have you deemed it necessary to ruin my daughter's life because somewhere in your sick little mind you think its ok for two women to be together?"

"I haven't ruined Mint's life! She was the one who pursued me, first of all, and what right do you have to call me sick, when you're married to your cousin!" Parsley's eyebrow twitched.

"Third cousin and it was an arranged marriage in order to further our pure line. This conversation, however, isn't about Ginger and me. It's quite different to be married to a distant relative and to be involved in such a sinful little affair with someone of the same sex! Do you realize that the bible expressly forbids such acts? You may be fine with burning in hell but I will not let you drag my precious little girl down with you. Do I make myself clear?"

Zakuro clenched her fists in her skirt to refrain from ripping Parsley's throat out.

"…Did you call me over here to preach the gospel to me or did you have some other purpose in mind. You sounded like a sensible man on the phone so I'm assuming that you must have something else to talk to me about."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Parsley reached into his robe and drew out a leather-bound check-book. "How much will it take for you to go away?"

"You think you can bribe me? Do you have any idea how much I make in a single day? With a single picture or a single quote! I don't need your money and I'm certainly not going to take it to stay away from Mint!"

"Money runs out Fujiwara-san. You can only ride this wave for so long and judging by how old you are now, I'd say you have another two years, three tops of your success story. After that it's back to busing tables and cleaning up restrooms. You can use a little extra money."

"…Forget it."

"Oh, don't be so stubborn Fujiwara-san. Mint isn't happy now you know! If being with you doesn't make her happy then don't you think that maybe she shouldn't be?"

"…How do you know she's not happy?"

"She told her mother, and of course her mother told me. Mint is absolutely miserable and this whole thing with the tabloids has not made things any better for her." Parsley shook his head, and readied his pen. "So, Zakuro-san, how much?"

* * *

"So…What exactly happened with you and Zakuro-chan?" Ichigo asked Mint, curiously. 

They were sitting in one of the booths at the café, for once acting like customers as opposed to staff, since its owners had decided to close for the day.

"What do you care? It's not any of your business and in fact you probably think its wrong don't you?" Ichigo blinked in bewilderment.

"What? Why would I think it's wrong?"

"Because I happen to know that you go to church every week and are a devout bible thumper."

"I go to church because my Mom likes to. I don't choose to and even if I did why would that mean I wouldn't approve?" Mint stared at Ichigo as if she had just declared that the sky was blue.

"Didn't you get the company memo? Christians hate gays. It's a fact of life. It's like…Cats and Dogs…or Cats and birds if you don't mind the pun."

"I'm sure that's not always true Mint-chan and anyway-"

"You know what Ichigo I really don't want to have this conversation with you! I don't want to talk about religion and I don't want to talk about Zakuro! I just want to sit here and drink my tea and you're not letting me which I really don't appreciate!"

Ichigo sighed and stood up from the booth.

"Fine, Mint-chan. I'll leave you alone. If you decide that you do want to talk though. You know all you have to do is call me right?"

"…Yeah."

* * *

"So you think that warning Wicked will help him someway?" 

"I-I don't know. It was worth a try. I couldn't jes' let ya slaughter him in such a weakened state."

Shabranigdo sighed and took Dark Star by the chin.

"You know I really hate to punish my servants and I would hate to have to do the same thing to you as I did to Wicked Sin but if you keep pushing me Dark Star then there's no other option."

Dark Star still managed a sardonic smirk even though she was currently shackled to the ceiling by her wrists and her Mistress stood before her with a whip in hand.

"Anything ya do, Shabranigso-sama, will be nothin' compared ta th' fate the Dark Lords will face once, Wicked Sin's people get though with us. If you had felt the power those girls had, ya wouldn't be so carefree about destroyin' 'em."

"Oh? And is that your professional opinion?"

"Yep."

"…Humph, Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't really give a damn. I'll finish punishing you and then give you over to Ruby-eye as a little present. You know she's been trying her hardest to get into your pants for some time and in your 'weakened state' I'm sure she'll have a much easier time of things, don't you think?"

"…Y'all are really sick, ya' know?"

"I know."

* * *

Author's notes: Gomen nasai, minna-san! I know this is a really short chapter but I've been working on other fics and haven't had time for this one. Perhaps I shouldn't have written anything at all until I had more ideas for it but I felt that I really had to get that first scene out of my head. I think the next chapter should be longer but incase it isn't I fully accept any lynching, or stoning that you readers may want to commit upon my person! 


	10. Epiphany

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco: Chapter Ten

It was with a fair amount of trepidation that Ichigo entered the apartment shared by Mint and Zakuro. She hoped to find at least one of them within the abode that they'd given her a key to, so she could talk some bit of sense into her.

Locating the bedroom she found what she was looking for and shook the girl in the bed roughly awake.

"Go away, Ichigo." The occupant growled.

"Zakuro-chan you have to get up. We need to talk."

Zakuro shoved her head under her pillow.

"What for? I don't wanna hear any of your 'everything will be alright' bull at the moment."

"I didn't come here for that, just get up and listen to me!" The pink haired mew demanded as she took up another of the beds pillows and smacked Zakuro with it.

"I don't care what you came here for! Just leave me alone!" Ichigo jumped out of the way as Zakuro clawed at her.

"You can't wallow in agony! Especially not now! Not when we Mews need to stick together the most!"

I don't care about the friggin' mew mews! I'm perfectly entitled to wallow in my agony and you not letting me is gonna get you ribbon pured straight to Hell!" Ichigo sighed as Zakuro rolled out of the bed and shuffled into the kitchen, setting herself to the task of preparing to fuel her addiction.

"I thought you and Mint-chan had made up. What the hell happened yesterday?"

"I sold the story to the tabloids and didn't tell her. Now she's pissed and we're fighting again. End of story." Using her newfound empathic ability Ichigo could clearly see that her friend was omitting certain facts

"What else happened?"

"Nothing. I told you. End of Story." Zakuro said as she turned the espresso machine on.

"Zakuro-chan…" Said mew braced her palms against the kitchen counter.

"…I went to see her father yesterday."

"…And…?"

"…And…He offered me money to stay away from her." Ichigo frowned.

"God, you didn't take it did you Zakuro-chan?"

"…"

"Zakuro! Why would you do something like that! You know that no matter how mad Mint-chan is she wouldn't want you to leave her! She'd be practically destroyed!"

"According to her parents it's quite the opposite actually."

"You'd listen to her parents, the ones who tossed her out for being with you, over what you know Mint-chan would feel? I always thought you were the wise one among us."

"Fuck off, Ichigo! Where do you get off telling me how to run my relationship! This has nothing to do with you so stay out of it!" Zakuro yelled whirling around to face the other mew.

"It has a lot to do with me Zakuro-chan. You two are like sisters to me and seeing you this way breaks my heart." Ichigo said, refusing to meet Zakuro's ire.

"You don't need to break your heart over me. I'll be just fine once you get out of my apartment and leave me alone." the violet-tresses model said as she turned back to her coffee.

Ichigo sighed again and realized that there was nothing more she could do at the moment.

"Zakuro-chan I hope you realize your mistake quickly before you really do lose her."

Zakuro said nothing as she heard Ichigo leave the apartment.

It was only five minutes after the catgirl had left that the truth to her words began to make sense to sense.

"What the hell did I do?" Zakuro wondered aloud as she began crying into her freshly made café mocha.

* * *

"Exactly what do you plan to do?" Ryou looked up from his desk to see Lettuce in the doorway to his study. 

"What do you mean?"

"About your sister and the others?" Lettuce replied as she slipped into his lap.

"I don't know. I don't suppose you'll reconsider you're plan to fight them will you?"

Lettuce didn't have to answer, Ryou knew exactly what she would say, but she did anyway.

"We can't let you do this by yourselves. You know that. You know I can't leave you."

"The only way Keiichiro and I can think of to help you guys is extremely dangerous and chances are that you won't survive the process, let alone the resulting powers."

"We'll just have to risk it. If it's the only way then we'll do it. Without hesitation."

"Lettuce…"

"You don't need be so concerned. We'll be fine. We always are."

"But it's different this time.Shabranigdo-sama and the Dark Lords are-"

"Really powerful and will kill us on sight. I know."

"Don't take this lightly. We were serious when we said that you don't stand a chance."

"Whatever." Lettuce said, standing up. "You just keep working on whatever new invention of yours you think will help us and we'll worry about our chances."

"Lettuce, wait a minute!" Ryou exclaimed and could only manage to get halfway out of his chair before the mew disappeared into the hallway.

It was as he stood there, wishing he'd had one last chance to kiss her before he sent her to her doom, that he had an epiphany.

Breaking into a wide smile like he hadn't done since he had abandoned the Dark Lords, he rushed out of his room to find Keiichiro and share his brilliance.

* * *

Author's note: I felt the need to put a little Ryou/Lettuce fluffiness in there,gomen nasai! 


	11. Trust

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco: Chapter eleven: Trust

"Ah really don't think this is a good idea. Have ah mentioned that?"

"Several times."

"And yur not listening' to meh why?"

"Because it's a brilliant plan and you're just chicken shit."

"Excuse me if ah don't want ta have a repeat performance of Shabranigdo-sama's punishments." Nana rubbed her wrists and winced both at the pain of the rope burns there and at the memory of what had transpired in the process of getting the rope burns.

"I never knew Ruby-eye was _that_ sadistic." Ryou said thoughtfully as he noticed his sister's actions.

"Why d'you think Shabranigdo-sama favors her so damn much? Can we just get this over with since ah know you ain't gonna give up on it no matter how dumb it is?"

"We have to wait for Keiichiro and Ichigo." Nana curled her lip in disgust.

"I hate cats ya know."

"Yeah, I know. But I happen to really like this one so be nice." Nana eased a hip onto the corner of the desk that Ryou had his feet propped up on and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ya know…This plan of yours…could very kill you. Not to mention me."

"Don't worry. I excluded both of our names from the incantation. Whatever happens though, after this you and I will be mortal. Do you want that?"

"…Ah think we've both lived long enough for you to know tha answer to that." She replied, smirking, matching her twin's expression exactly.

"I'm glad you two find something funny about this situation." Keiichiro all but growled as her walked in and shoved Ryou's feet off the desk.

"Same as always huh? A growlin', spittin' puppy, just like yur name, Sirius." Keiichiro bared his teeth at Nana for her observation.

"What's this brilliant idea you have anyway, Ryou? Whatever it is, if it involves an evil bitch like Dark Star I won't have any part in it and I'll advise Ichigo-chan to follow suit."

"She's certainly the lesser of five evils."

"But still evil."

"True enough. You win."

"Stop talkin' bout meh like ah'm not here!"

"And just why is she here, Ryou-kun? Keiichiro-kun?" Ichigo demanded to know as she walked in with her arms folded. "And why did you insist that I not bring the others? We don't keep secrets from each other. Not secrets like this." She amended as an afterthought.

"Yur their leader. We needed ta clear it with you before we went any further." Nana answered, flinching at the look Ichigo sent her that made it clear to the Dark Lord that the Mew though she was of the lowest caliber of being to ever walk any plane of existence.

"I trust Ryou and Keiichiro. Most of the time. But I don't trust you in the least bit. And I agree with Keiichiro. Anything that involves an enemy, I won't have anything to with." She stated before turning on her heel and preparing to storm out

"Even if tha enemy was willin' ta risk their life ta see that you'd succeed. That you'd defeat a mutual enemy?" Ichigo stopped and turned slowly, the glint in her eyes reflecting her feline genes, one that said that she would eliminate anyone who crossed her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If we work through my plan," Ryou began, addressing both Keiichiro and Ichigo. "Then the Dark Lords will not only be significantly less powerful, they'll be able to be killed. Mortal."

Keiichiro and Ichigo exchanged a long look before they both sat down, Keiichiro at his desk in the workroom and Ichigo hopping up onto the widow sill.

"Talk." They instructed the siblings in tandem.

Ryou and Nana exchanged a look then, the latter nodding and former beginning.

"When I was still a Dark Lord, before we'd even come to this plane, Shabranigdo was threatened by an enemy that countered her power in every aspect. Where Shabranigdo was weak Cepheid was strong and vice-versa. They ended up destroying each other in the process of the battle."

"Their subordinates were evenly matched as well," Nana continued. "It was how we all came to be reincarnated in tha first place. We destroyed each other."

"And if Shabranigdo's side has reincarnated then its safe, very safe in fact, to assume that Cepheid's has as well." Ryou concluded

"So you're suggesting we find who the other side reincarnated as and then have them fight instead of the girls. Brilliant! Why didn't think of that sooner! Oh but you forgot a few important things. First stands the fact that we've already established: The girls won't back down. Second, we have no fucking idea where these reincarnations might be! They could be across the damn world for all we know! We don't have time to go scouring ever corner of the-"

"That's not what he's getting at Keiichiro-kun." Ichigo said, holding up a hand to silence her friend before he begin speaking again.

She narrowed her eyes at the identical smirks the twins still wore.

"You're thinking that the seven of us are the reincarnations."

"Precisely." Ryou and Nana answered

"…Ryou…"Keiichiro began, kneading his eyebrows with his fingers. "I know you think this is the right way to go about things but unfounded theories are not what we need right now."

"Its not an unfounded theory. Its fact." Ryou said defensively

"Oh, really? And how do you know that? Can you prove it?" Keiichiro asked challengingly, knowing it would get a rise out of the blond.

"Yeah, I can prove it. All we need is for you to recite the incantation to call back their former powers from the sea of chaos."

"Uh-huh. Never mind the fact that, as I've said before, all of my power that was left after sealing Shabranigdo's portion of power that you have and what she poured into my sister, is currently maintaining the Mew Mew Project."

"Both of which spells you can drop now."

"Right. And let you become a Dark Lord again? And let Spica work her way out of death when she becomes one again? And let the Mews go back to regular girls, since this theory of yours is crap, so they can be slaughtered? No thanks, Ryou."

"You don't trust me to stay by your side, by their side, No matter what?" Ryou questioned, slightly stung at the suggestion that he would betray his friends.

"I trust Shirogane Ryou. Not Wicked Sin. And Not Dark Star." Keiichiro added with a glance at Nana

"Ah stand bah Ryou. Shabranigdo-sama and her followers need to be stopped. Regardless of what it costs meh, I'll bah you as well."

"…And why are you so sure that they are who you say they are anyway? I know about Cepheid and Shabranigdo's war and Cepheid's people were numbered five not seven."

"Cepheid manifested in two beings. The Yin and Yang of his power. Shabranigdo did as well. Chidori just happened to have murdered her light side several decades ago."

"Uh-huh, okay, I'll buy that. Which ones are which then? As far as we've seen, the only one able to control any element like Cepheid's dragons did was Lettuce and she only did that once."

"Ichigo and Berri represent Cepheid's two sides. Ichigo Yin and Berri Yang. And as for the others I can't tell you which is which."

"Then that just brings us right back to start of the circle! How can you be so damn sure!"

"Because I just am! I have to be! Just trust me and drop the enchantments!"

Keiichiro said nothing, did nothing for a few moments. Just stared into Ryou's determined eyes before he closed his own and sighed labouredly.

"…Fine. I'll trust you." He opened his eyes again, scowling as he did so. "But if this plan of yours gets us killed I'm going to kick your ass."

Ryou smirked again at the threat.

"Too bad you won't get the chance."

* * *

Authors Note:I'm sorry if you find Nana's way of speaking hard to read. I don't know if I mentioned it before but she's posed to be using a Kansai accent which is always portrayed in dubs as being like a southern U.S. accent. Also all of the Dark Lords are based off the Six Great Spirits from the Manga Diabolo. Soooo great! Lots of shounen-ai angst and what not! 


	12. Sorcerer

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco: Chapter twelve: Sorcerer

While Ichigo was dubious, Ryou was enthusiastic, and Keiichiro was skeptical, Zakuro was depressed and Mint was furious.

"How could you have done something like that? I would have expected this from mother but from you?! I thought you had more fucking sense!!" Mint screamed at her father the day after she'd stormed out of the cafe.

Her parents had called her joyously out of the blue due to a retraction that several of the cities tabloids had printed, stating that the story they had printed days ago about the relationship between their daughter and a certain model was a hoax and that charges had been pressed against their annoymus informant for the false info.

Mint, confused, had called Zakuro to discover what exactly was going on. Upon reaching the other mew, she had been informed, bluntly and coldly that her parents were the source of the problem and that it should be taken up with them before any more of Zakuro's time was wasted on juvenile non-sense before the connection was cut.

"Well, we thought it for the better that the _problem_ as it were, with you and this sinful little tryst, should be delt with directly rather than indirectly, through you. Zakuro-san was much more understanding and logical about the whole thing and didn't seem to be quite as serious about it as you in the long run. She said that it was simply a means to an end. The end being, of course, the money which was generously given by your loving father. While I don't condone blackmail I think she's highly intellligent in the long run for having foreseen what exactly our reaction to the _problem _would be. In fact, I rather like her for her astute obsevations and excellent business sense. And, since rumor has it that she's recently signed a major contract with N-G, she would be a very welcome contact for my own personal career" Ginger said, with an aristocratic flip of her hair.

Mint was artistocratically speechless.

"Your mother has also invited Zakuro-san to have dinner with us tonight. She'd didn't think you'd mind." Parsely sighed, as he rubbed his temple in frustration "It was your mother's brilliant plan that we slove the problem monetarily. She says that no woman in their right mind would turn down half a million dollars over something so frivolous as a relationship. That's how we were set up after all." The long-suffering tone in her father's voice cooled Mint's ire at him but only fueled her anger at her mother.

"You are a sociopath, do you realize that?"

"Oh, sweetheart, I've been called worse thing, believe me." She sailed out of the parlour where the convorsation had taken place and into the foyer just as the massive doorbells to the mannor. "I'm sure that would be our esteemed guest now. Would you be a dear and go answer the door Mint, darling, while mommy goes to powder her nose?" Ginger called as she practically sailed up the stairs, an evil mist seeming to trail in her wake.

Mint wasn't all together sure that her mother wasn't the anti-christ.

So did as her mother bade anyway, rather that having her eyes clawed out if she hadn't and was very, very tempted to blow up several small countries with her father's military connections.

"I hope I'm not late. Your mother said to be here approximatly close to eight." Mint almost chuckled at how nervous Zakuro was and reminded herself, ruefully, that she would be the only person who would be able to tell the slight difference in the stoic model. The way her wolf ears, which were visibly showing, twitched ever so slightly when she recognized the look of betrayal and loathing in her fellow mews eyes as she was led into the house and through the foyer to the dining room.

"You aren't late. I just got here myself. " She had resolved not to act like anything was wrong and that the whole situation didn't bother lest she bo forced to stab someone over the dinner table. "Mother went to freshen up and Father went to check on dinner so I suppose that I have time before they come back to ask you one thing: What the fuck?" Zakuro winced as the other girl turned around to look at her. The swearing being the only thing that betrayed her true feelings to the rest of the world.

"There are certain circumstances beyond our control that need to be delt with before anything else. Our relationship falls in the something else catagory and as such, must be handled second to one of those circumstances. " Zakuro explained with a sigh, trying to will her canine features to disappear.

Mint raised an eyebrow as she sat down at her place at the table. Zakuro sat at hers and was astounded by the number of insults that Mint's mother could pack into seating arrangments.

She was to sit at the foot of the table, about five feet away from the Family and she was being referred to as Fujiwara--Model, contrary to the Family who all had their names lovingly handwritten on the seating cards as opposed to typed out.

Yes, there were seating cards.

"Would those certain circumstances involve Ryou's hairbrained scheme about us being reincarnations or something?" Mint--Daughter, called down the table, raising her voice to be heard over the distance.

"That would be one of them,yes" Zaluro called back, feeling more and more uneasy by the moment about this calm Mint that she was being faced with.

In the four or so years they'd known each other, Zakuro had never seen Mint so calm about anything. Even something as simple as which napkins would look best with the christmas theme for the cafe she was passionate about. She never backed down from a fight and never gave up, especially when she knew she was on the right side. It was, Zakuro mused, probably the thing that most annoyed her and most adored about the other girl. To see that gone, possibly from what she had done, was quite literally (And quite clichely) breaking Zakuro's heart.

She had been about to voice this latest concern when Ginger floated into the room, with Parsely skulking behind her, coughing on the 'mist of absolute evil'

"Ah, Fujiwara-san, I'm so glad you could make it. I hope that your ride over was pleasent enough?"

"Yes, Aizawa-san. The bike-messenger you sent over was very kind. Riding on his handle bars was an...experience." Zakuro ground out through her teeth, she'd thought it would be rude to refuse the ride her hosts had sent over, humiliating as it was. It would have been more humiliating if Ginger had been able to point out the rudeness of not accepting the offers of your host.

And Zakuro sure as hell wasn't out to please Aizawa Ginger.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the cafe, Lettuce and Ichigo watched with raised eyebrows as Ryou, Nana and Keiichiro argued about the weird symbols they'd drawn with chalk on the cafe floor. 

"The chalice has to go in the east! Seiryuu, the GOD of water resides in the east!" Ryuu demanded.

"Why I would I care about where seiryuu resides?! I'm not actually Japanese! Water goes to the west!" Keiichiro argued

"Both of y'all are wrong. Water goes ta tha North! That's were Aqualord Ragradia resides!" Nana insisted.

Ryou and Keiichiro refused to respond.

"Fine, we'll do it your way since you're the one actually casting the spell but if it goes wrong and you get turned into a goat, please don't chew on the table cloths as they are quite expensive." Ryou conceed with folded arms.

"...I'll try to keep that in mind." Keiichiro responded with a twitching eyebrow and an eerie smile.

"Ano...I don't know much about this stuff...but considering that Ragradia is one of the dieties that you think we are, shouldn't you follow Nana-san's directions? Just a thought." Lettuce said hesitantly.

Ryou and Keiichiro refused to respond on general principal but put the chalice in the north.

Nana looked pleased while Ichigo was even more confused.

Seeming to sense this, Lettuce turned to her friend in an attempt to dumb down what they'd been told about the ritual earlier.

"Ragradia is the peice of Ceipheid that corresonds to water. Since she lives in the Northern part of the continent then her direction is North. If I'm guessing right, I suppose that Ragradia is supposed to be my previous incarnation due to the water aspect, where as Vrabazard, who corresponds to fire and lives in the South would be Purin, Rangort who corresonds to Earth and lives in the east would be Ringo and Valwin who corresponds to air and lives in the west would be Mint. Zakuro-san, being that she doesn't use a specific element and that her powers mostly run towards purification and holy magic, likely represents the Ceipheid Knight, who holds the Soul of the flare god within herself."

"And Berri and I?"

"Are the yin and the yang that make up Ceipheids being. Zakuro houses the soul while you two represent the body and mind."

"...Uh-huh...Don't tell me you actually believe any of this stuff, Lettuce. I mean, doesn't it sound like all of them are just bullshitting?"

"Ichigo-chan, you make a living undercover as a Mahou-shoujou and you can cast skepticism on this? That's a little hypocritical don't you think?"

"...You're right. I'm sorry. Totally beliveable. I accept it now."

* * *

Author's notes: Egh...I'm sorry if this chapter was kinda like blah but I haven't felt very inspired by this story lately so it might take me a few chapters to get back in the mood for it. I'll try not to continue it for too much longer and actually finish it since people keep demanding that I update. I had intended to just stop and rewrite it angstier but people wanted this one shrug I'll try to finish it but the new one will probably get more work on it since I'm exited about writing it. A copyright note, all of the parts of Ceipheid are actual characters from the Slayers metaverse as is the Ceipheid knight. I didn't intend it but this seems to be becoming a big crossover in my head. Weird ain't it? Tokyo Mew Mew and Slayers? Go figure. 


	13. Flight

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco: Chapter 13

It was a long and winding road, Zakuro reflected, that had ended her up at this point. A bloody knife in her hand and Mint screaming for help, her father, Parsley frozen in his chair, gaping like a fish and her mother, Ginger, collapsed in a bloody, gory, bitchy, bigoted heap on the floor.

At least, that would have been the ideal situation, had Zakuro not decided that Mint might miss her mother just a little.

For now, she was content to sit at the opposite end of the table from the monarch of the Aizawa clan, and finger her fish fork longingly, waiting for the opportunity to plunge it into the snobby womans heart and watch the blood ooze between her fingers as that self-satisfying smirk twisted into a mask of horror and regret…

"Is there something funny you would like to let us all in on. Fujiwara-san? I don't happen to think the plight in Europe is quite as funny as you seem to…" Ginger said, tightly and mockingly, that smirk in place as she attempted her best to discredit Zakuro for her own enjoyment.

"No, not really." Zakuro replied, conscious now of the wide grin that had spread over her features at the thought of killing Ginger once and for all, and quickly suppressing it. "I was just thinking how nice it was that people in financial situations such as yourselves managed to care about those less fortunate than you. It's just such a shame the Barney's in London is closing. Oh, whatever will those horribly less fashionable British do?!" The violet-haired girl said, in tones of mock horror, earning uneasily glares from Mint and Parsley, which obviously asked what the hell she was thinking by patronizing Ginger.

That tight-lipped smile stretched further and took on a more feral quality as Ginger folded her hands delicately in front of her.

"Oh, I whole heartedly agree. You must have experienced this first hand, after all, weren't you raised there as a child?"

"Oh, heaven forbid! I was raised in France, I only moved back to Japan shortly after my career took off. It's a lucky thing isn't it, though, that my fashion sense is imported! Most of the more expensive Japanese clothing lines are just so hideous."

"Oh, really. Well, you know, the Aizawa group happens to own several of them. Maybe if you aren't too busy you could put in some creative effort and worldly experience and actually have some worthwhile impact in the world." Ginger replied with a twitch of her eyebrow.

"I've had far more of impact on the world than some snobby socialites who get their jollies from messing with other people's lives, tell me, were you not hugged enough as a child, Ginger-san?" Zakuro asked, viciously, making her sure her fangs, showed very clearly.

"Oh I was, of that you can be sure. I'm not too sure, however, that some people weren't hugged far too much. Do all models have to fuck the entire agency to get their picture taken or just the really dull looking ones?"

"I really wouldn't know, my father owns the agency and since I wholeheartedly disapprove of incest, I can assure you that my success was founded in nepotism, I suppose we have our differences and similarities, don't we?" Zakuro asked with a glace at Parsley.

"Okay, now, Fujiwara-san, Ginger, isn't that about enough?" Parsley hazarded, standing up slightly and looking in between the two women once again. He and Mint had been watching the two woman's bitter and decreasingly subtle conversation, which had escalated to the level of 'Yo' mama' quips by now, like the clichéd spectators at a tennis match, with matching expressions of incredulity.

"Stay out of this, Parsley!" the older woman snapped, not taking her eyes away from Zakuro for a moment, she'd noticed her guests friendliness with the sharper instruments on the table from the moment they had sat down. "Lets just one thing straight, Fujiwara-san, regardless of the fact that you've perpetuated and prolonged this sinful little obsession that Mint has had for years, I quite frankly don't think that you're of high enough quality to romance my daughter in the first place. I've known she had interest in her own gender since she was at least 8 years old, but what I cannot tolerate and refuse to tolerate is that her tastes would fall so low as to stoop to someone without any hint of aristocratic or royal pedigree and choose someone who's been in the paper for various scandals since she was in diapers. I don't tolerate the bourgeoisie and I certainly won't tolerate them dating my children!" Ginger said forcefully, standing up midway through and leaning slightly across the long table, all airs and catty remarks done with.

She didn't wait for Zakuro's reply before she stormed out of the room and into the kitchen, while the other three occupants of the dining room sat in shocked silence at the outburst.

"…Well," Parsley said, loudly, as he noticed the equally stunned servants waiting near the door. "Would anyone care for dessert?"

Mint groaned and dropped her head down to the table with a loud thunk as the servants set down various covered dishes on the table beat a retreat of superhuman speeds.

"Why can't she, for once, just accept something the way it is without having to shift it to fit her narrow little world? Is that so much to ask?" Mint asked, her question slightly muffled by the silken table cloth. "And why is she taking such an interest in this anyway, when she'd never cared about anything I do? Why is this so different?"

"It shatters her preconceived notions of the universe and therefore cannot be allowed to stay the same. Her fragile existence is measured by the actions, and notions of those around her."

Those assembled turned to the doorway of the dining room upon the arrival of a new voice into the conversation.

"Well, that's all very well and good, Seiji but I'm afraid that little tidbit of psychoanalysis isn't really helping the situation," Parsley said, on a somewhat bitter note as his eldest child walked into the room, in the process of unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt before sitting down on his sisters left.

"It helps knowing her psychological state so that Fujiwara-kun will have a plausible reason for committing homicide. "He turned to a Zakuro who was staring at him with an expression akin to aghast and smiled slowly "I don't happen to share my mother's views on the subject of blood purity, and if you'd like, there is a .33 millimeter under the mattress of my bed, first door on the left in the east wing of the manor, there is a bullet that literally has my mother's name on it that would have been used long ago, had I not been less than willing to commit matricide."

"Seiji…"Parsley said, with the weary sigh of one who had head the comment several times before.

"I…I don't believe I want to kill her exactly." Zakuro stated, trying to stem the tide of preconceived notions about her tendency towards homicide. "I'm just trying to figure some things out right now." She said as she slowly pushed herself back from the table and made her way to the door before remembering that she was brought up correctly, and turn back to the table. "Thank you for the meal and the…scintillating conversation, Aizawa-san. There's nothing else I could have imagined spending my Saturday afternoon doing. Seiji-san, it was nice to see you again." She spun lightly around on her heel before striding out of the house briskly, not responding the calls of her name as she left the house.

"You don't have anything else to say to me after all that? You've barely said two words to me since you walked in the door." Mint asked angrily, catching up to Zakuro halfway down the long winding driveway of the manor.

Zakuro cringed inwardly remembering, that while she had been relying on her extra speed gained from being part-wolf, that Mint had the speed from being part part-bird and could almost match her.

The older girl stopped and sighed. Wishing that she had developed the power of teleportation, not one that so intimately linked to Mint's.

"And what do you expect me to say. You mother has made it clear what she thinks and you made no attempt to dissuade her. I know you care for our family so 'm not going to ask you to chose them or me. The choice has been made for you and there's nothing either of us can do about it."

"How can you just make decisions like that for me and not even let me counter the argument!" Mint demanded to know, marching further down the driveway and injecting herself into Zakuro's path as the other woman continued to walk.

They shared a glare that lasted approximately two seconds before the latter turned away and walked around Mint.

"I'm giving you an out, why can't you understand that? The situation is better off for everyone if we leave it how it stands now and continue to work in a strictly

professional manner. There's a high probability that proceeding anywhere beyond that was dire mistake, one we are both obviously paying the consequences for now. The incident with the tabloids seems to have solidified that point. If you can't see that then it's up to me to make the point clear to-", Zaukro stopped short, as if she had walked into an invisible wall and she heaved a sigh that held dire consequences to it's cause. "Is that the way you want to play this? Like a child? Don't force me to use my power on you, Mint, as I'm more than highly confident that my focus and practice would make a far tougher foe to defeat than those you've dealt with so far."

Mint widened her eyes slightly at the threat but closes her mouth against any further objections she may have had on the subject, and doesn't reply as Zakuro continues the walk down the driveway and out of the boundaries of her families land.

Just because she had given up for the moment, however, didn't mean that she given up on the situation entirely, she thought bitterly as she watched Zakuro walk away from her once again, for the umpteenth time since the conflict between them had escalated.

It was, in her opinion, a stupid move to let something this minor come between after all they'd been through and an even stupider one on Zakuro's part to take her mother's actions into account and think that just because Mint's mother happened to be more than a little bit psycho that Mint would be willing the throw away the relationship that she had built and invested so much time on over the last four or so years.

A wiser person, taking Zakuro's opinion in the matter to heart, would have given up and tried to salvage what little happiness they had in their live left.

Aizawa Mint, however, would never be one to claim that she was particularly wise.

* * *

A/N:Sort of a short chapter but like I said, I'm not really writing this fic for me any more but for the fans who still read and I think I have an obligation to you guys to finish it. I can't promise that it will be over relativly soon and the updated might get even less frequent then they are now but I will eventually finish it so please have patience with me!

By the way, I know it's exceedingly random tht I added Seiji in this chapter but I felt that I needed some explaination for why I had completly ignored Mint's living situations before. I know her grandmother is supposed to be the one looking after her but it was much better for me to write it like this. The Grandma will come into thenext chapter, and yes I realize that Seiji is an anime-only character but I also felt that a benevolent member of the Aizawa family was needed.


	14. Drive

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco: Chapter Fourteen

Zakuro couldn't believe that the threat she'd made had had any impact at all.

She was so used to similar threats being scoffed at by the heiress that she'd only made the threat to keep herself from flipping out.

The fact that Mint had taken it more seriously than she had was seriously troubling Zakuro and as a result, she was walking around the rich neighborhood that the Aizawa manor was located in somewhat of a daze, trying to figure out exactly what ulterior motive was behind her lover's odd behavior.

She was so out of the loop that she didn't even hear the car pulling up next to her until the driver leaned out the window and shouted out her name several times.

"Zakuro-kun, you're being ridiculously stubborn about this for someone who still has seven miles to walk to the nearest bus stop in manolo blaniks!" She turned; startled that someone had managed to sneak up to her and even more so to see a certain azure-haired heir leaning out the window of a crimson red beamer.

"Seiji-san," She slowed down slightly as the car pulled to a stop next to her and she realized that his words rang true. Her feet were killing her. "What are you doing here?"

"Mint told me that you took off on foot, so I was dispatched to give you a lift. No strings attached." He added as Zakuro opened her mouth to protest.

Reasoning that she couldn't very well walk all the way to her apartment and that she had no cash on her to call a cab or catch the bus, she reached for the handle to the passenger side door and narrowed her eyes warily, glancing around the inside of the car, before deeming it safe and climbing in.

Seiji chuckled as he started the car and pulled back out into the street, earning a sharp look from his passenger that quite clearly ordered him to explain.

"You guys really don't like surprises do you? Mint does the same thing every time she gets in a car as well. Assessing risks and the probability of danger." The models eyes narrowed further as she felt her canine teeth elongating with her increasing stress level.

"What do you mean 'You guys'?" Seiji smirked, resembling his mother and sister almost exactly for a scary moment.

" Tokyo Mew Mew."

Zakuro blinked, searching for signs that Seiji was kidding around with her in his face, saw nothing but that self-confident smirk then felt the top of her head, frowning when she felt a lack of canine features.

"…I don't know what-"

"Don't do that." Seiji said sharply. "Aside from the fact that I once caught my sister mid-transformation, it doesn't take much to figure out if you pay attention. First of all, how many groups of girls are there with names like Mint, Zakuro, Pudding, Lettuce et cetera, who hang out together? You may look slightly different in those forms but the code names you use on the battle field aren't very stealthy."

"When did you…"

"When that giant beetle thing attacked at Mint's performance. I didn't see her run in the direction of the exits with all of the other performers and I went to look for her. I ran into her mid-transformation, like I said, and she explained later."

"…She should have told us. We would have had your memory modified or something."

The grin widened

"Judging from the tips Mint brings home, I doubt you could afford the time it would take to screw around up here." He tapped his temple, the grin turning sardonic and twisted. "Very messed up, all twisting paths and dead ends up here, I'm afraid. Comes from my mother obviously. Mint's honestly lucky that she missed the part where mother was having bouts of memory loss. She used to forget whether she'd beat me already some days and do it again anyway just to make sure." Seiji shrugged the emotional scarring floating from his mind and back to the topic at hand. "And anyway, Even if you had the most awesomely cool and top-secret code names known to man, there's still been the factor of body language."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Any interaction you and my sister have," He started, grimacing as though the thought disgusted him. "Anytime you're around each other it's like a walking porno. Your intimacy with each other is broadcast loud and clear, especially when you're fighting. It's not something you can control or turn off so don't look so scandalized just be lucky mother's too caught up in her inner labyrinth of twisted shit to notice it or else you might have ended up on the wrong end of a steak knife."

"Unlikely, my reflexes are significantly more advances than-"

"Whatever. It was a figure of speech. All I'm saying is that it's obvious how in love you and my sister are and to let a lunatic like mother come between you is just plain stupid-And don't even start with that family crap. The only ones Mint cares about, Dad and I, fully support you guys, the former is however, y'know," He made a whip sound and flicked his wrist. "Besides, it's runs in the family anyway. There's no way Shitake-oji-san, the head of the family, would let Dad get rid of both his heirs for the same reason." He frowned slightly. "At least, I don't think so."

"But-"

"Just stop it, unless you want to stop the car and leave you to follow your original plan. We still have a few miles before we get to the bus stop, if you don't want your feet shredded then just say so."

"…Hn." Seiji chuckled again

"I'll take that as a no."

* * *

"So what do we have to do? I mean. Do we just stand here or do we have to chant something or…" Ringo asked, trailing off, glancing nervously between Ryou, Keiichiro and Nana.

She and the other mew stood in the diagram that the three magic-users had drawn on the floor of the war room, the day after the proverbial dinner from hell.

Lettuce stood with a chalice at her feet, standing in a circle drawn in the north side of the room. Pudding stood with a candle in the south. Ringo with an apple to the west and Mint with a feather (not one of her own) to the east.

In the middle of the first four girls, Zakuro, Ichigo and Berri formed a triangle with Zakuro to the northeast, Ichigo to the northwest and south.

No, all you have to do is stand there and focus on something. It's doesn't matter what, preferably something positive, and stick to it, until we're through. The spell should take effect immediately." Keiichiro explained an eerie smile on his face.

"This isn't going to hurt them is it?" Tasuku asked Ryou gruffly, folding his arms from where he and Masaya stood off to the side of the war room.

"Unfortunately, that's always inevitability. This spell is the same one that was used to call the Dark Lords into our body's centuries ago. I think I passed out somewhere in the middle, but I don't remember any actual pain." Ryou stated.

"Oh there was pain all right. Twistin', burnin' pain. Somewhere in the lower stomach region. Only one thing that made it go away but only for a little while 'fore the same gorram pain came creepin' right back." Nana said, a bit of a frown on her face.

"…And what was that?" Ichigo asked, her voice barely a whisper as she turned to look at her fellow mews. All wearing identical nervous expressions.

"A really good fuck."

"…" Was the response throughout the room.

" 'Course, five or so minutes later, you'd be jes' as horney and have to jump the nearest available mammal capable of speech. Ryou was kinda the young them so I'm not surprised he don't remember. Hormones like that ain't meant to rush through seven year olds all unbidden like that, genius or not."

The shocked silence continued for a minute or so before Ryou clapped his hands loudly.

"All righty then, now that we've all got the image of horny dark lords burned into our minds forever, "He began, blushing fiercely and looking anywhere in the room besides Lettuce. "How about we get started shall we? No outside interference with the girls until we give the okay and you guys, no fidgeting." He added, eyeing Berri whom had been nervously shifting her weight for the past half hour, shocked silences aside.

The blond man stepped in between his sister and best friend, who had been quietly bickering about who was going to stand next to him, and turned once more to glance about the room, flushing even more when he finally reached Lettuce's gaze and held it.

"Everyone ready?" Alright, Keiichiro is going to start first with Pudding-chan and Ringo-chan, then I'm going to do Lettuce-chan and Mint-chan and then Nana is going to do Zakuro-chan. Ichigo-chan, and Berri-chan. Is that clear?" there was a general consensus in the positive throughout the room at Keiichiro's question "Remember, keep those thoughts in mind. We can't have your minds running rampant while we invade them!"

"Wait, What?!" Mint asked in alarm

"Oh, didn't I tell you? KSR-4 is actually a seal that keeps Cepheid's powers locked away. The fact that it's activating means that the seal is breaking. Thus, we are going to little take a sledgehammer to it. I could have sworn I mentioned this before."

"No, you didn't!" Replied Tokyo Mew Mew en masse.

Keiichiro shrugged in response.

"Oh well, Think happy thoughts ladies!"

* * *

A/N: Holy bottles of liquid inspiration batman! Two chapters in two days and a third to come tomorrow?! Shock! Awe! 

With chapter 13 I somehow got the urge to write for this again and now I may be on somewhat of a roll similar to what I was on when I first started the story. I couldn't resist added Seiji again, I like writing his part last time and felt the need to expound on his character and to give a little more insight on just how screwed in the head Ginger is ( I really love writing bad guys...).

I'm uploading the next chapter just as soon as possible so be patient kiddies, Ja na!


	15. Glow

Tokyo Mew Mew a la Fresco: Chapter Fifteen

"Everyone ready?" Alright, Keiichiro is going to start first with Pudding-chan and Ringo-chan, then I'm going to do Lettuce-chan and Mint-chan and then Nana is going to do Zakuro-chan. Ichigo-chan, and Berri-chan. Is that clear?" there was a general consensus in the positive throughout the room at Keiichiro's question "Remember, keep those thoughts in mind. We can't have your minds running rampant while we invade them!"

"Wait, What?!" Mint asked in alarm

"Oh, didn't I tell you? KSR-4 is actually a seal that keeps Cepheid's powers locked away. The fact that it's activating means that the seal is breaking. Thus, we are going to little take a sledgehammer to it. I could have sworn I mentioned this before."

"No, you didn't!" Replied Tokyo Mew Mew en masse.

Keiichiro shrugged in response.

"Oh well, Think happy thoughts ladies!"

At Keiichiro's cheerful last warning, a two foot wide path between Ringo and Pudding, that had previously been blank before, lit up with odd symbols and both girls entered a trancelike state. As the path lit, so did the circles around the girl's feet. They objects they stood with seemed to melt into the floor as Ryou closed his eyes and frowned in concentration.

It was an uneventful seven minutes later, that the glowing stopped and Ryou opened his eye, a little unsteady on his feet as he moved to the nearest chair and sat down, pale and slightly haggard looking.

Amidst the rabble of concern for the blond, Keiichiro repeated his friend's actions, the path this time lighting between Lettuce and Mint and the circles in which they stood in, their respective objects disappearing shortly after.

Like Pudding and Ringo had, Mint and Lettuce seemed to follow Keiichiro in his trance, their eyes drifting closed as if in sleep.

A slightly longer eight minutes later, and Keiichiro came out of his trance, while the two girls remained in it, as had the previous two. The better to delay the symptoms of the ritual, as Keiichiro had explained earlier.

Apparently not having as much stamina as his friend, Keiichiro proceeded to drop to his knees shortly after completing his part, not able to make it to a chair and earning a scoff from Nana as she stepped up.

This step of the ritual obviously being far more complicated than the last one, Nana held her hands out to the three girls in the center and they entered the trancelike state, Nana herself staying completely conscious as her body began to glow with a faint grey light.

Nana's light, however, was a mere shadow of the ones that began to glow and pulse around the seven girls and symbols around them.

Keiichiro muttered something about showing off as the light surrounding each girl began to condense and solidify, each into a different color.

Green for Lettuce, red for Ringo, yellow for Pudding, blue for Mint, purple for Zakuro, pink for Ichigo and white for Berri.

The rainbow effect shattered after a few moments, as the glow around the girls in the outer ring subsided and seemed to add brilliance to the ones surrounding the girls in the center.

It was with several dull thuds that the luminescently inert girl collapsed bonelessly to the floor.

"Relax, little bro, I'm almost done. You can get your girl in a minute." Nana said tightly, just as Ryou began to tense behind her.

Her hands began to shake slightly and sweat began running down her face as she focused her sites on Ichigo and Berri and then closed her hands as if gripping something.

After adjusting her grip with a sharp intake of breath, Nana flicked her wrists with some effort to the visible effect of turning a key and the two girls followed their friend's paths to the floor.

"You two don't move now." She said, warningly to Tasuku and Masaya who'd gotten out of their chairs near the door. "I'll kill ya mah, damned self 'fore I'll have ya ruin all this gorram work. The souls always the hardest so jes sit tight…"

She shook her hands out a little before bringing them back up, this time using two hands to grasp one object. She started sweating more freely now, easily soaking her t-shirt as she threw all of her weight into the turning motion.

As soon as the motion was completed the light flooding the floor disappeared in a bright flash, while the light surrounding Zakuro slowly faded, leaving a blinking model standing upright and decidedly more conscious than her comrades in heaps on the floor.

"Whew!" Nana stated dramatically, wiping her arm across her brow in a wide sweep.

"Is that it?" Zakuro asked, sounding a bit weary but no worse for the wear.

"Is that it?! What d'you mean is that it?! Those twenty minutes are gonna change yur lives forever!" Nana exclaimed.

Zakuro blinked, a somewhat laconic expression on her face.

"I meant is it okay to move them now?"

"Yeah, yeah. Jes make sure you don't jar 'em too much and take 'em all home. I suggest not leavin' 'em in a room with anyone but their significant other. They might not see reason too clear after having their brains fiddled with."

"So the –er- increased sex drive should be the only side effect?" Masaya asked, carefully lifting Ichigo into his arms, an act that was imitated by Ryou and Tasuku with Lettuce and Berri respectively.

"I should hope not! Unless we royally fucked up, then every power they have should be increased at least hundredfold or more and a shitload of new ones should crop up in a day or two." Nana stated, wiping at her forehead some more as her brother and the other two boys ascended the stairs with their loads. "I'll grab the monkey girl over here if you get the other one, Keiichiro, then we'll come back for blue over there." She suggested, scooping Pudding into her arms and throwing her over her shoulder, turning to the remaining make in the room for confirmation.

"Zakuro-kun?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is that alright with you?" Keiichiro asked, looking up even as she bent to lift Ringo.

The violet haired girl was looking down at Mint, still motionless on the floor, with her hands on her hips and a thoughtful from crossing her features.

"…Give me a minute. Go take care of those two and I'll give you an answer when you come back." Keiichiro nodded in acquiescence and followed Nana through the door in the back of the war room that lead to Keiichiro and Ryou's place via tunnel, in the even that the café should be compromised.

Zakuro reflected briefly about the first and last time she'd been as utterly confused about everything in her life as she was now.

She'd already determined that it had been that day at the photo shoot, when she's transformed in a mew for the first time and defeated her first Kirema Anima.

It was the first point in her life where people had actually reached out to her who wasn't related to her in some way and therefore obligated to.

She's rejected the hands at first, not knowing what to make of them. She'd been scared, confused and even a little furious that she had no clue what to do.

She came to a sudden decision when the second Kirema Anima attacked and she decided to join the mews, based on the fact that she knew that something had to be done about the invasion and that she had to do something with the powers that has been thrust on her. Though in light of recent events, she probably always had them and the mew mew project was just a means to an end.

Once Deep Blue and the other aliens had given up, she'd taken stock of her emotions and her actions during the conflict and had been more than a little bit shocked to find that she actually cared about the well being of those involved with the project.

Despite the emotional walls she'd put up in defense of this very thing 6 and then 8 people managed to sneak their way through and find places inside the heart that she's spent years chilling over.

She'd meant to protect herself. To prevent the heartache she'd felt when the very last person who she thought cared about her had betrayed her utterly.

Gradually, and probably predictably, there was one person who bypassed her defenses completely and proceeded to utterly obliterate them.

Zakuro, of course, had been aware of the affections that Mint had seemed to hold for her since square one, but had always perceived it as a delusional sort of hero-worship that she would grown out of. It persisted though, and in fact increases exponentially as time went by and they were thrown into more life threatening decisions where Mint somehow got it into her head that Zakuro could do with a bit of protection, despite the latter's vehement protests to the contrary.

Very shortly after the incident with the St. Rose Crusaders, nearly four years ago, Zakuro began to notice, with the help of accounts from Ichigo and Lettuce, that she probably felt just as strongly for Mint as the other girl did for her. She noticed that her feelings toward the heiress had gradually progresses from comrade, to friend, to best friend and eventually to the one person that Zakuro couldn't live without.

Coming to terms with this fact, that she, of all people, who'd tried her damnedest to push other people away by being cold and rude for the majority of her life, had fallen so desperately in love with another person was one of the hardest things Zakuro had ever had to do.

After realizing that she couldn't possibly rectify the situation if she was around the object of her reluctant affections, she started to purposely distance herself from her and the rest of the mews, citing her career as the motivation. At one point she quit the Tokyo Mew Mew altogether, after she found that seeing her, even sporadically, would never cause her feeling her fade.

It was taken Mint's questioning of her motives one night and a confession of her true feelings (not to mention some rather active persuasion), for Zakuro to accept her own feelings and Mint's and agree to give the relationship a try.

Zakuro had been telling the honest truth when she had told Mint that she was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Thanks to their relationship, Zakuro began to open herself up to her friends more and eventually even to casual acquaintances, she learned to trust in humanity again and that not person she met would inevitably betray her.

She hadn't regretted a single moment of it since that night, up until the point where she had accepted the Aizawa's bribe to stay away from Mint.

It wasn't that she wanted the money, far from it fact, she would rather flush it down the toilet than keep it for herself. The point had been to convince Mint into giving up on the relationship on her own. To convince her that her mother had been right and that Zakuro had only been involved with her for some eventual payout. To leave the money would have been too noble for the role she had been trying to play."

_I should have known better, _She mused, bitterly. _She's the only person who knows the real me inside and out. _

She should have guessed that Mint wouldn't fall for it. The emotional bond they'd developed was way past the point that lying could fool either girl.

Zakuro was startled out of her thoughts by the reappearance of Keiichiro and Nana, the latter looking wearier by the minute.

"Are you alright, Nana-san?"

"Don't y'all worry about me. It's you we should be concerned about." Zakuro frowned at the prospect.

"Worried about me? Why?"

"That spell should have knocked you out just like the rest of the girls. The fact that you're still standing is nothing short of an enigma." Keiichiro said, pulling out his notebook and clicking his pen open. "We purposely added a sleep agent to reduce and delay the negative side effects of the ritual."

"I wouldn't call 'em negative…" Nana muttered, earning a sharp glare from Keiichiro.

"So what does that mean? Did something go wrong?"

"I don't think anything so but just in case you should come back here tomorrow afternoon and we can give a throughout looking over. You look like you're in need of a really good rest. Have you made a choice yet?" The mage asked, indicating Mint, who was starting to stir on the ground.

_Time for another sudden decision…_She thought, hesitating as the other girl sat up, rubbing her head distractedly. "Could you please help her to my car, Keiichiro-san, I don't think I would be able to support her weight and I've still got to carry her to the elevator in our building."

Keiichiro smiled and bent down to help a groggy Mint up, putting her arm around his shoulder and following Zakuro as the led the way out of the basement war room and out of the café.

* * *

A/N: I sympathize with Nana's "whew". Let me just state that writing action scenes or scenes with spells in them are not my forte. If anyone has complaints, then they can take it up with the rabit demons in my head who write most of my stories. That being said, I think you can expect another chapter or two out of me in the comming week, assuming I don't get to sidetracked. The next chapter may or may not be a lemon, depending on if I can stop blushing enough to write it, and if it is, then people will have to email me for it if they want it since deleted the last one I posted and sent me a warning letter. TTFFN, everyone. 


	16. Commit

Tokyo Mew Mew a La Fresco Chapter Sixteen

When Mint came to for good, after drifting in and out of conciousness for something around 14 hours, she was staring up at a very familiar ceiling. One she had taken pains to memorize over the last 16 months.

Feeling that her weight was the only one occupying the bed, which was not at all synonomus with her staring at this particular ceiling, she sat up and immeadiatly regretted it, feeling as though someone had indeed taken a sledgehammer to her brain. She made a mental note to comment on the accuracy of Keiichiro's metaphor prior to kicking his ass for the pain.

"Here, take this. Ryou said it should help and to apologise about the unforseen side effect. No one was supposed to be in any pain."

She looked through her fingers as they clutched her head to see a hand stretched out toward her, two small blue pills laying on the palm, while a glass of water was offered with the other.

"Zaku-"

"Take these and then we'll talk. You might pass out again otherwise."

Thus warned, Mint did as she was told and leaned back against the headboard with the glass of water. Using the excuse of finishing it to stall for time.

"I really don't know that theres anything to talk about." She admitted, watching Zakuro walk across the room to sit on the top of her dresser. Which, while not increadibly high, was still about 4 feet tall. A testimony to animal reflexes."If you honestly don't want to be with me then theres nothing that I can do to convince you otherwise. I've done all I can, so I give up."

"Bullshit." Mint scowled at the answer and Zakuro had to grin inwardly, she'd almost been afraid that Mint's spirit had been broken as well as the seal on her true power. The scowled instantly denied the worry, however.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"You've never given up on a thing since I've known you. Probably not in your whole life. What makes this any different?" There was a tone in Zakuro's voice that slightly confused Mint. It didn't fit her words and the heiress narrowed her eyes to show her suspicion.

"You've made it emphatically clear, several times, that you want to end it. I'm tired of arguing with you about it. As soon as I stop shaking, I'll pack the rest of my things and call a car to take them back to my parents place."

Zakuro frowned and jumped down from her perch, walking back towards the bed, laying the back of her hand on Mint's forehead.

"Are you still in any pain?"

"Not physically." came the gruff reply and weak smile before the brushed Zakuro's hand away. "Don't touch me. I can't that right now."

"...I've already packed up most of your things and sent them away." The other mew stated, moving away from the bed slightly and trying to hide the wince that had crossed her features at the admonishment.

"Sent them away? To a storage facility? You could have just called me and I would have come to pick them up." Zakuro brushed the statement away with a sweep of her hand through the air.

"It's a moot point. They would have ended up there eventually.

"In a storage space? What are you talking about?" Instead of answering, Zakuro took a cursory look around her bed room, as if she was a prospective buyer and not someone who had lived in the apartment for the better part of seven years.

"It wasn't really an issue when I bought the place but now that I think about it, it is really too small. I didn't intend to get this much use out of it."

"Too small for what?! You're not making any sense, Zakuro and I'm starting to get really frust-" Mint's half-formed rant was cut off by a pair of lips that suddenly and insistantly pressed against her own. Another credit to animal reflexes, she hadn't even seen the other girl move. "Why would you do that after I just told you not to-"

"Marry me." Mint's response on the matter pretty much being the vocal equivelent of "?!", Zakuro clarified. "If you can honestly say that you don't care about your families opinion on the matter then theres only one thing stopping us from spending the rest of our lives together. I was doing what I though was best for you at the time. You know how hard it was for me growing up without my families support, which the exception of my father and his monopolizing of my looks. I know how close you are with yours and I didn't want to be the reason that all of that went away. I love you and want you to be happy, even at the cost of what we have. However, I also wouldn't be able to live without waking up next to you every morning, so if you can truly and honestly say that you're willing to chose me over the opinions of your family, then marry me."

Mint blinked slowly and then again, as if the world had suddenly gone out of focus.

She put her own hand to her forehead to check for fever. It could be the only possible explaination that she was having these types of hallucinations. Deciding that she would really rather not be tormented by subconcious anymore, she promptly and decidedly passed out once again.

A few hours later, Mint was awakened again, this time to her cheeks being slapped lightly.

She opened her eyes and knew that all was right with the world when she started into a familiar face the the backdrop of an unfamiliar ceiling.

A glance at her surroundings informed her that she was still in the War Room. The anxious faces of Keiichiro and the rest of the mews-sans Zakuro,thankfully for Mint's state of mind-confirmed this and she flet a wave of relife wash over her as she sat up.

"Mint-chan, Are you alright? You were knowck out for far longer than any of us." Ichigo informed her, removing the towel that had displaced from Mint's forehead and into her lap when she sat up. "Any you were moaning like you were in pain." The pink-haired mew turned to Keiichiro with a slight frown. "Was there anything that happened to her that wasn't supposed to? Is she going to be alright?"

"Oh, she should be fine. We'll just have to ask Zakuro-kun what happened when she passed out again and we can be sure."

"Z-Zakuro...?" Mint asked, paling slightly, to the concern of everyone in the room.

"Yes," Keiichiro responded after everyone had voiced their concerns regarding Mint's pallor. "The ritual went as planned for everyone but her. She should have lost conciousness like the rest of you but she didn't. I asked her to come back today so we could figure out what went wrong-which Nana and Ryou are doing with her in the next room-but you still hadn't come to and she was worried about leaving you alone. She was slightly hysterical actually...Well...In as much as Zakuro-kun can be of couse...There was alot of glaring..."

"And then Ryou called me and told me what was going on, then I called Ichigo who called everyone else." Lettuce spoke up from where she was standing behind Ichigo, "We wanted to be here for you in case anything had gone wrong.

"Now that we've been assured that you're fine and have found out that Zakuro might not be, we decided to stay here in support of her as well." Ringo continued. Somewhere in the back of Mint's addled mind, she noted that the redhead and Pudding were standing oddly and semi-alarmingly close, the latter not talking or doing anything remotly acrobatic at the moment except going along with the general stream of supportiveness.

Mint suddenly had a creeping feeling at the back of her neck that she firmly and resolutly decided to igmore.

She had enough problems with her own relationship and sure as hell didn't need to worry about anyone elses, despite the fact that her intuition was trying to persuade her otherwise.

Speaking of her own relationship...

"Ah, Zakuro-kun, Nana-san, Where's Ryou?" Keiichiro asked as the two women came back into the room.

"...He's doing some preliminary tests on tha date we found with that supercomputer of yours. Tryin' to find a way out of our current predicament." Nana said, frowning slightly.

"Current Predicament? Does that mean that theres something wrong?" Berri asked, nervously and standing on the tips of her toes to get a better view of the two in the doorway.

" 'Fraid so," Nana said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Apparently, I went too far and Fujiwara here could die any day now, sorry 'bout that."

Zakuro sighed and rolled her eyes as the outpour of emotion at the statement started to produce tears from everyone but Mint, who just sat where she had woken up, mouth gaping slightly and her eyes glazed over somewhat.

"She's not serious." The model said forcefully but not loudly, the statement breaching the din regardless.

The assembled party turned to glare at Nana who was still rubbing her neck but was now chuckling as well.

"Didja haveta tell 'em so soon Fuji-kun? I was gettin' hungry! Turns out, She had an unusually high tolerance against spells that deal with bending her will in anyway." Nana grinned slightly, a pointed tooth showing the expressions cockiness. "Especially those wielded by Dark Mages, which given tha current enemy is a definate plus."

"That wasn't very nice, Nana-san!" Berri exclaimed, folding her arms indignatly. "I was about to cry!" Her claim was supported and ditto'ed by 5 other mews, the last one-aside from Zakuro-held a hand against her chest, as if trying to will her heartbeat to slow down,

Mint wasn't sure, but she strongly suspected that she had just had a heart attack.

She was assured in the negative by the fact that she wasn't in any pain however, and that her heart-which she had heard thrummingly loudly in her ears ever since Zakuro had entered the room-hadn't skipped a beat.

She'd been trying to control her blushing at the ridiculously impractical dream she'd had before comming to by counting out it's beats.

It had worked, to an extent, but now that she could feel eyes on her, the eyes of everyone in the room-and one person in particular-it wasn't going quite as planned and she blushed with full force as she looked up, going, she was sure, an ugly shade of mauve as the blood rushed to her face.

"Are you alright, Mint-chan?" Lettuce asked, touching her shoulder lightly.

"I-I'm fine. Just a little bit startles is all." She forced out a laugh and was sure that everyone besides Nana knew how ingenuine it was. Because they were her friends, however, and obviously cared so deeply about her that they wanted to spare her the humilation of answering, they didn't press any farther.

"No you aren't." Responded the cool voice of someone who obviously didn't a give a damn about seeing her vulnerable in front of her friends.

Said person waded through the crowd to stand behind her, arms folded, face an imperceptiable mask, as Mint turned to protest but was inturrupted before she could say anything.

"You passed out with no provocation. You're obviously not fine. Keiichiro-san, did you find anything?" Zakuro asked tersy, not looking at Mint while the other girl gapped at her like a gutted fish.

"Er...Actually there were a few things that I have to ask you for clarities sake so I have all the information on what to look for if I have to do a second dive." the man replied, wilting a little under the Imperceptable Mask's power.

"Alright, fine. Ask what you need to."

Keiichiro shared a Look with Ryou, that spoke volumes in it's capitalization, as the latter entered the room while the former got out his clipboard.

"I suppose I should start with the basic facts. What time was it when she came to the first time and then when she passed out again?"

"2:37 am and then 2:55 am."

"Uh-huh, so less than twently minutes. And where were you when it happened?"

"In the bedroom of my apartment." Keiichiro blanched at the answer and felt a eerie wave of deja vu come over him as he wrote down the details of the convorsation.

His thoughts were pretty clearly echoed by the rest of those in attendance, except Nana, who looked around in confusion at the tension that suddenly filled the room.

"O-Okay...And...What were you doing when she passed out?"

"Proposing to her." There was that "?!" sound again and Zakuro briefly wondered how everyone had managed to coordinate it so suddenly.

She vaguely heard Pudding whisper "Proposing what?" only to be shushed by Lettuce and Berri in order to uphold the shocked silence, and smirked briefly, more of a twitch of the corner of her mouth given the Imperceptible Mask, actually.

She turned a quick glace toward Mint to find the other girl staring at her, even paler that she had been before her mauve shade, like all color had been bled from her face.

_She' doing that thing again_, Zakuro noted wryly, _Where it looks like she's trying to keep her heart trapped behind her ribcage and it's in danger of escaping._

"Er...Okay, and then what was Mint-chan doing?" Keiichiro asked, his eyes still slightly larger than normal from the shock of it all.

Zakuro blinked and pointed to Mint, who squeaked, uncharacteristically as the attention of the room was back on her once more.

"Pretty much that. Only her hand was on her forehead and she wasn't squeaking. Then she passed out."

"A-Alright!" Keiichiro explaimed, closing his notebook with a snap and exchanging another Look with Ryou. "I'll just go run these through the computer and and get back to you when I have the information!"The last word beging slightly muffled as Keiichiro was slamming the door to the other room in the basement lab as he said it.

"It'll probably take him a few hours to look through everything and then to cross-reference it with the original spell plan, but Mint-chan and Zakuro-kun should be fine." Ryou said, imitating Zakuro's pose and shortness. "You can all go home now or whatever but we have work to do here. I want this lab cleared by the time I come back. With the exception of you two." He ordered, pointing to Zakuro and Mint before leaving the room, dragging his sister along with him by the wrist.

Reminded that Ryou was still technically their boss,the Mews did as ordered, pausing momentarily on their way out to mumble encouraging words and gives sympathetic pats before crowding up the stairs.

In the crushing silence that followed the only movement was Zakuro's, who seemed thoughrouly non-plussed by the subject at hand.

Once the room was all but vacated, she went to the smaller table that sat in a corner of the room and picked up the magazine that lay on top, reading as though the last twenty minutes hadn't been the most stressful of Mint's life.

Mint, on the other hand, was angry and working her way up to being furious quickly.

She hopped off the table and began pacing with a vengence. She was sure that the floor would have a path worn down in it in a few moments.

While her...whatever, seemed to think that the situation called for reading a magazine about shoes was all well and good given the situation, Mint knew otherwise and despite her inherent fear of emotional confrontations she was going to meet this one head on!

After she finished pacing of course.

* * *

Author's Notes: I don't think I'll be able to leave this story alone once I finish the current plot. I know I've been really slow about it but I recently bought the manga series and now I really want to write for it again. There's gonna be side stories to this one I think, so once I finish the main plotline, and even before then, there will be shorter stories that are set in the same time period. Those I have planned would be, of course, How Zakuro and Mint actually got together, and a similar story with Ryou and Lettuce. I mentioned that I was going to have Ringo and Pudding be a couple in the first chapter but I totally forgot about it until I decided that I was going to read the story again myself to see what I had already covered. It's been two years since I wrote the begining, so people will have to excuse me for my lack of memory in my own work. They might get a sidestory two if I can figure out how to do it. The set up of the ritual's side effect was purly for the intention of setting them up. 

I've also been reading alot of drabbles latley and have come to realize that most of the chapters here are pretty much drabble length if not shorter, I don't know if people realize it but I've been consolidating chapters these last few times. 14 and 15 were each at least 2000 words as opposed to the usual 1000+. I'm forcing myself to write longer chapters and therefore extending the story as I already had a set number of chapters in my head when I started, which I'm not revealing.


	17. Close

Tokyo Mew Mew A La Fresco Chapter Seventeen

Looking over the magazine at Mint, Zakuro could swear that she could hear the gears turning in the other mews head as the girl paced angrily. She resisted the urge not to smirk or smile but obeyed the one that was telling her to antagonize her lover just a little before she exploded.

"Something on your mind?" Zakuro asked quietly, still pretending to read the magazine, flipping a page for effect.

"Is there something on my-Is that all you have to say to me?!" Mint cried, waving her arms in the air as she came to a stop in front of Zakuro. She seemed to recognize the irony of the action and abruptly stopped.

Zakuro blinked a few times, the very picture of innocence

"Nani? What else would I have to say? You're the one pacing the room like your tail feathers are on fire, kotori-chan?" Mint flushed slightly at the pet name but refused to give in.

"You asked me to marry you!"

"Yes, I was there." Mint tugged on her hair in frustration and continued her pacing.

"So don't you think you have just a little bit of explaining to do?!"

"Do I?" Zakuro scratched her head, raising her eyebrow slightly. "I think the question was pretty self-explainitory, not to mention the fact that I already did. The ball is your court at this point."

Mint flushed, knowing that she wasn't going to gain any ground at this point, not when her lover was in this sort of mood. The one that meant that Mint was unlikely to get a straight answer for any question she asked. The last one had been a fluke.

She came to a stop in front of Zakuro again and snatched the paper out of her hands, causing the eyebrow to raise higher.

"You were serious about that?"

"...Did I sound like I was?" Again, no straight answers.

Mint sighed in frustration and sat down on the chair on the other side of the table from Zakuro.

"You know, I don't even know anymore. You've been sending me mixed signals for years. You say you love me but you refuse to let me in. It's hard to know sometimes, what's fact and what's fiction. How do you expect us to get married if I can't even get a straight answer about whether or were serious or not?"

Zakuro raised an eyebrow and slowly closed her magazine, setting it down on the table between them.

"You want a straight answer? Fine, I've wanted to marry since the first time you were stupid enough to put yourself in harms way for my sake."

"We weren't a couple then, though. That was when Pai tried to...oh..." She cut herself off after noticing Zakuro's withering glare.

"I've been in love with you since you started treating me as more than some unattainable idol or some lone wolf who happened to share her destiny with you. You were the first person to treat me as a friend and the first person to treat me as an equal. You're the one who calls me on my shit and the only one isn't intimidated by my attitude. You're the only person who's ever tried to protect me from anything. Both from outside harm and from myself. Of course, I was serious about marrying you. I've loved you practically since the day I met you and I couldn't imagine living without you."

"...Oh..."

Zakuro blushed, to Mint's great surprise and rested her hand in her fist, closing her eyes.

"That's all you have to say? A similar declaration wouldn't be amiss here, right about now."

"What else do you expect me to say?" Zakuro looked up at the sound of a chair scraping against concrete to see Mint walk around the table and reset herself onto her shocked lover's lap, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's neck, leaning forward to press their lips together lightly.

Zakuro was so distracted by the suddenness of the action that she missed the statement that Mint had mumbled against her mouth.

"Wait, what did you say?!"

Mint grinned with a wry twist of her lips.

"Ahou..." Zakuro supposed, as Mint proceeded to kiss her thoroughly, that there was really no need for further explanation than that.

* * *

"What is it that you didn't want to say around the girls?"

"I don't know wut yur talkin'-"

"Don't play dumb, Nana. You were holding something back. Something other than Zakuro having a high tolerance to magic." Ryou insisted, ignoring his sisters protests before she uttered them.

"Zakuro-san is not the container for Ceipheid-sama's soul."

"What?" Asked Ryou and Keiichiro simultaneously, alarmed by the drop of her accent just as much as the news.

"She's not. the being she is housing has far greater implications than just the Flare God."

"What are you talking about?" Ryou asked slowly, almost afraid of the answer.

"She's a conduit. One linked directly to you-know-who. Cepheid's soul is still out there somewhere. If you ever expect to defeat L-sama, you'd better find it soon if you don't want the world the destroyed."

Ryou had gone pale with the information while Keiichiro looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

"Wait, who is you-know-who? What are you guys talking about?"

"Er-There's something I supposed I forgot to mention over the course of the three centuries that we've known each other, Keiichiro." the male sibling began.

"And that is?" The black-haired man prompted, folded his arms ans raising an eyebrow.

"The dark lords, Shabranigdo-sama and Ceipheid-sama aren't exactly the only big bad dieties in the dimension that we come from. There are at least seven more."

"And..."

"You-know-who refers to the original Deity. The one who created us all, the primordial mother who site upon the sea of chaos, The Lord of Nightmares, or L-sama."

"And that means what? I get the feeling that I should be worried but what does it mean that Zakuro-san is a conduit for this uber-deity?"

"It means that Zakuro-san is the path that would allow you-know-who to come to this world. She comes to here, she destroys it. End of story." Nana answered

"Why? I thought she was a creation Deity?"

"It's just what she does. She's the goddess of creation _and_ destruction. The only being in existence that's made totally out of chaos. Everything happens according to her whims. If she doesn't like something about a world she can change it without a second thought, which usually involved the destruction of said world. I was on one that she had been fiddling around with one time. Everyday something major changed. One day aliens didn't exist and the next day they did. Her conduit on that world was another Japanese schoolgirl, this one by the name of Suzumiya Haruhi. She impersonated Haruhi as a school student and played around with the world until she bored and then left, the world imploding upon her exit due to her interference. Who knows how many times she's done something like that? I only just got away that time."

"The one thing we can be certain of is that we can't make the same mistake that one of Ruby-eye's subordinates did a while ago. The conduit on his world got ahold of some spells that called on L-sama's power and her body was destroyed in the process of casting one of them. She came to the world and would have decimated if she hadn't decided that her conduit was interesting to watch. Zakuro-san can't be let near anything that allows her to call on L-sama's power." Nana said, chewing on a fingernail/claw "I'm surprised the chaos factor generated by the Mew Project, is bad enough, I'm surprised it hasn't brought her out already."

"The powers she has as Mew Zakuro are based in Holy magic. That's why it made sense for her to be the Ceipheid Knight." Keiichiro stated.

"They're separate from L-sama's power of chaos, that's true. But anything unleashed after I destroyed the seal won't be. She won't be able to stop using those power altogether but there has to be able to decrease the chaos factor in them. We'll have to stabilize the chaos." Ryou muttered almost to himself.

"How do you stabilize chaos?!" Nana exclaimed. "That's an impossible contradiction of terms!"

Keiichiro grinned suddenly, in that eerie way her had, and both blond siblings were instantly and extremely nervous.

"Well, we'll just have to experiment a little now won't we?"

* * *

Author's Notes: And that would be the end of Tokyo Mew Mew a la Fresco. I am doing a sequel but I though that this particular branch of the story couldn't get any farther than this. Some of you also may have notice that I'm changing some elements to the story as well, in that the main villains name are changing. I though i had screwed up the Slayers-verse too much to logically explain who was more powerful than L-sama so i changed some of the titles around. I'll reload the rest of the chapters later.

While I generally don't prefer characters to get married as a plot in a storyline, I just felt that the only way that Zakuro and Mint's relationship could go any further was to have them get engaged so...

I plan on focusing more on the enemies in the next installment and will hopefully finish the first chapter soon. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for **Tokyo Mew Mew La Dolce Vita!**


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